The Korea e-Sports Association (KeSPA) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Korea University Department of International Sport Science to develop talent for the esports industry and promote industry-academia education.

The signing ceremony took place during the 2026 E-KUS (Esports Korea University Sejong) Esports Forum at Korea University’s Sejong campus. Officials from both organisations attended the event, including Kim Cheol-hak, Secretary General of the Korea e-Sports Association, and Kim Sang-ho, Chair of Korea University’s Department of International Sport Science.

Under the agreement, the two organisations will establish a cooperative framework that links the esports industry with Korea University’s regular curriculum.

The partnership will focus on creating and operating project-based courses connected to industry needs, while also jointly developing industry-academia programs. For example, students could work on esports-related projects as part of their coursework while learning directly from industry professionals.

KeSPA and the university also plan to share human networks and infrastructure, as well as collaborate on event sponsorship and promotional activities.

Global Esports Industry Week (GEIW) will return in 2026 with a bigger and bolder edition, taking place across 18–21 June in Cologne, Germany, alongside IEM Cologne. The schedule and details about ticket sales are available in this link.

The Secretary General of the KeSPA, said (translated from Korean), “This agreement will serve as a meaningful stepping stone for fostering talent and promoting industrial development in the e-sports sector together with Korea University Sejong Campus. Moving forward, we will support the cultivation of convergent talents equipped with both professional expertise and practical experience, ensuring that creative outcomes derived from the curriculum lead to industrial advancement.”

This isn’t KeSPA’s first move to support esports and help develop young talent through schools and educational institutions. Around two months ago, KRAFTON and KeSPA signed a three-year deal to bring esports into schools and make it a bigger part of South Korea’s official sports ecosystem.

A few weeks later, KeSPA announced another partnership with USA Esports focused on growing esports at the grassroots level. The two organisations plan to collaborate on several areas, including national team selection systems, delegation exchange programs, and youth and scholastic esports initiatives.

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