A scandal has shaken up the League of Legends community in South Korea: Former Hanwha Life Esports jungler "Clid" has received a year-long ban after being accused of sexual harassment and misconduct.
The LCK Season 2023 has concluded, teams have qualified for the League of Legends World Championship 2023. While other leagues are still playing, LCK teams usually are caught up in scrimmages, practices, and preparation for the biggest tournament of the year during this time. The biggest discussion at the moment, however, is a lot more unpleasant.
Kim "Clid" Tae-min, former jungler for teams like Hanwha Life Esports, Gen.G and SKT, has been banned from competing in professional League of Legends for 12 months following several allegations of sexual harassment and misconduct against him.
LCK: Former Standout Jungler Clid To Serve Possible Career-Ending Ban
Initial allegations against Clid were first brought up in June 2023, when a woman came forward, accusing him of sexual harassment. According to the screenshots the woman provided, this took place over a period of time on the Korean messaging app KakaoTalk.
(Serious) Sexual harassment allegations leveled against Clid by u/chainer9999 in leagueoflegends
Shortly after, another woman stated that Clid behaved similarly towards her, apparently aware of the fact that she was a minor at the time their conversations took place. Both Hanwha Life Esports and Clid had either ignored the accusations or argued against them.
Due to the severity of the allegations, the LCK Investigation Committee took action and opened a detailed review of the situation, according to South Korean sports outlet Naver. The Investigation Committee has now concluded its findings, judging that Clid's remarks towards the two women are "unacceptable under any circumstances", especially if they involve minors.
In the end, it was decided that Clid would be banned from competition for one year. Not only in the South Korean league circuit, but Riot events and leagues worldwide. This might seem like a rather mild sentence given the severity of his misconduct.
You have to keep in mind, though, that Clid turned 24 this year, which is already considered old by LCK standards. Him returning to LCK or LCKCL (i.e. the second tier of competition in South Korea) at 25 years old seems very unlikely, also keeping in mind his recent play, which was deemed poor in the eyes of many fans.