Pro gamers in South Korea - statistics & facts

South Korea is one of the leading e-sports markets worldwide. There is a supportive infrastructure for professional teams, ranging from established teams backed by large corporations to the presence of several e-sports stadiums across the country. Within teams, there are different staff positions such as trainers, managers, and media teams who provide support to the players. Furthermore, gamers signed to professional teams receive regular salaries alongside other streams of revenue, allowing them enough financial security to invest time into gaming.

Game-centric online e-sports viewership

There are two ways to watch pro gamers play: online or in-person. A 2023 survey found that the game itself was the biggest draw when watching e-sports broadcasts online. That same year, around 36 percent of fans reported having watched e-sports broadcasts once or twice a week, usually for about an hour. Online viewership was fairly evenly split across four platforms, though one of them, international streaming giant Twitch, has since ceased operations in South Korea.

Player-centric e-sports competitions in South Korea

With several e-sports stadiums available across the country, over half of surveyed fans indicated their intention to attend competitions in-person. Unlike with online broadcasts, the presence of pro gamers themselves was the biggest factor influencing fan attendance, similar to going to a concert to see a live performance. Support for e-sports teams was centered more around the players themselves rather than the specific game they were playing. Common fan behavior such as buying branded merchandise and following social media activity as well as content releases was also present in e-sports fans. According to a 2023 survey, T1 was the e-sports team with the largest fan support in South Korea by far. Backed by SK Telecom and Comcast Spectator, T1’s star player Faker (Lee Sang Hyeok), was both the most successful Korean pro gamer and the leading League of Legends (LoL) player worldwide that year.
This text provides general information. Statista assumes no liability for the information given being complete or correct. Due to varying update cycles, statistics can display more up-to-date data than referenced in the text.
Published by Statista Research Department, Mar 18, 2024

Key insights

e-sports market revenue
274.4m USD
e-sports teams budget
96.3bn KRW
Most successful pro gamer 2023
Seoul (Cho Gi Yeol)
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Value of South Korea's e-sports related industry in 2022, by segment (in billion South Korean won)

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

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E-sports in South Korea
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Mobile gaming in South Korea
PC gaming in South Korea
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