Bae “Bang Jun-sik was a professional League of Legends player who rose to stardom with SK Telecom T1 as their starting AD Carry alongside long-time Support player, Wolf. During his time with the team, Bang won back-to-back World Championships and is only one of five players who have more than one title under their belt. Earlier today, he announced that he would be retiring from professional play after spending a season with Afreeca Freecs.
Bang explains that the primary reason he will be retiring is that he will be joining the military as part of the country’s law regarding mandatory military service for male citizens. Mandatory military service in South Korea states that Bang will have to join the military for at least 18 months, depending on which division he’ll be assigned to. Due to the nature of his service, Bang will be unable to compete or train in League of Legends or any other video game.
Previously, Kim “Khan” Dong-ha, the top laner for Damwon Kia, also announced that he would be retiring to fulfill his mandatory military service. South Korean citizens may start doing their mandatory military service anywhere between the ages of 19 and 28. However, both players opted to begin their service early, which signals the end of their career in esports.
Bang began his career as a player for NaJin Shield alongside Wolf. Eventually, the two ended up in SK Telecom T1, where they managed to win their first and second world championships. Wolf retired in late 2019, but Bang continued to play in the LCS for 100 Thieves. Bang finally went back to South Korea to play his last years with Afreeca Freecs but didn’t manage to find further success after leaving SKT T1.
