In a post made on Tuesday, 6 May, the South Korean esports organisation T1 has publicly objected to the use of its star player Lee “Faker“ Sang-hyeok‘s image in political content. The incident involves Kim Moon-soo, a candidate from the conservative People Power Party (PPP), who posted twice on his official X account depicting himself in a pose reminiscent of Faker’s iconic stance – one of them even including a photo of Faker himself.
T1 responded Moon-soo’s post with a formal statement emphasizing that Faker is not affiliated with any political stance, party, or campaign. The organization requested the removal of the post to prevent any misinterpretation of Faker’s image as conveying political meaning. T1 stated, “We respectfully ask that his image and any related expressions not be interpreted or misconstrued as conveying any political meaning.”
This is not the first time that South Korean political figures have referenced Faker or T1. The player has become a symbolic figure in South Korea’s cultural landscape, often appearing in government-backed campaigns aimed at the youth and at promoting Korean identity and influence abroad.
At the time of this publication, Moon-soo’s posts had not been deleted even after T1’s request nor did the politician pronounced about the controversy. Comments criticising the post show that fans were also not captivated by the idea.
