Yoo Chang-ho wins the first championship at FC Mobile in South Korea's Esports League in 2025
Aug 10, 2025
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The first winner came out of the region-centered e-sports league.
Yoo Chang-ho (Jeonnam Dragons Esports) was named the first winner in the final round of the '2025 Korea Esports League (2025 KEL)' hosted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and co-hosted by the Korea Esports Association, Krafton, Nimble Neuron, and Nexon Korea.
Yoo Chang-ho ranked first in the preliminary round in the KEL"FC Mobile" event, which opened in May, and showed an overwhelming performance by winning all nine sets from the first round to the final. Yoo Chang-ho beat Lee Han-ul (Busan BeSPA) by a set score of 2-0 in the third round (winner's group final), and in the final round, Hong Ji-hong (FN Sejong), a traditional powerhouse who came up through the loser group, won all the games in a row until overtime in the first and second sets, and won the final third set to complete the two-month journey with a complete victory of 3-0.
Yoo Chang-ho won the 10 million won prize along with the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Award, and will represent Korea in the international competition 'FC Professional Champions Cup' with Hong Ji-hong, the runner-up.
Yoo Chang-ho, who worked as a public servant on Jeju Island and held the competition, said, `It was not easy to prepare for the competition together while working, but I'm glad that I won the championship with a perfect score.'"As the KEL began, more actual competitions were held, and through this, more thoroughly analyzed the opponent and developed strategies and tactics, which led to good results." It is also meaningful to meet top-ranked players who have only met online in person at the competition site." Then \'FC Mobile' users are even more pleased to hear that their skills have improved after watching the players' games. I hope more players will participate in next year's competition," he added.
2025 KEL is a region-based e-sports league launched for the first time this year, aiming to help players develop their capabilities, strengthen their competitiveness by region, cultivate professional manpower and even create jobs. Opening in May, it will be held until October with three events, including 'FC Mobile', 'Battleground Mobile', and 'Eternal Return'. Some sports will be used as a standard for selecting national teams in the future, and they are also promoting linkage with middle and high school competitions and national youth sports competitions to strengthen the foundation for school esports.
Fourteen people from eight local governments participated in 'FC Mobile', while 'Battleground Mobile' has 16 teams, including nine regions and seed and partner teams. 'Eternal Return' has 12 regional teams participating in the league.
Along with online competitions, offline competitions are being held in Busan, Gwangju, Gyeongnam, and Daejeon, where local e-sports stadiums have been established. From the 30th to the 31st, the final round of 'Battleground Mobile' and the final round of 'Eternal Return' will be held at the same venue on October 11, respectively.
Expectations are high on whether e-sports games, contents, and industrial capabilities, which have been concentrated in the metropolitan area, can spread to the region with the hosting of KEL. More than 200 spectators also flocked to the game site to enjoy the professional-level game, and it is expected to be the starting point, producing winner Yoo Chang-ho, who has been little recognized by other players.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
