Top eSports players in South Korea in 2024, by prize money earned

In 2024, South Korean Tekken 7 and 8 player "Ulsan" (Lim Soo-hoon) earned around 335,300 U.S. dollars in prize money from eSports tournaments. This made him the most successful eSports player in South Korea based on prize money earnings that year. He was followed by League of Legends (LoL) players "Faker" (Lee Sang Hyeok) and "Keria" (Ryu Min Seok). With two exceptions, LoL and StarCraft II players dominated the top earner's list that year. 

The eSports industry in South Korea

eSports is becoming an ever more lucrative market worldwide. The revenue of the global eSports market is expected to exceed 1.8 billion U.S. dollars by 2025. The South Korean eSports market’s sales revenue amounted to around 274.4 million dollars in 2023. Korean teams have participated in over 9,000 tournaments, with League of Legends (LoL), StarCraft II, and Overwatch being their most successful games. South Korea is home to dozens of professional eSports teams with full-time gamers specializing in various games. Some of these teams are backed or owned by large sponsors or corporations such as SK, CJ, and Hanwha. 

How eSports players in South Korea earn money

While tournaments and streaming are the main content consumed by fans, professional eSports gamers’ income mostly comes from being paid a salary by their teams rather than prize money or streaming income. Players who are not signed to teams or signed to smaller teams rely more on competitions, streaming income, and sponsorships. In 2024, YouTube was the most popular streaming platform for eSports content. The international giant allows fans to buy paid memberships and donate money to streamers. This works alongside the monetization system more widely available across the platform through which content creators can earn money from advertisements and sponsorship deals.