Korea’s League of Legends team defeated Taiwan in its first Asian Games group-stage match.
‘Zeka’ Kim Geon-woo, who started as mid laner, and ‘Zeus’ Choi Woo-je led the flow of the early skirmishes.
Although Korea secured its first win, the race to advance to the semifinals from Group B will be decided by the results of the remaining matches.
3-Line Summary
1. Korea’s LoL team earns its first win over Taiwan
2. Taiwan’s base fell in 25 minutes
3. Korea must finish in the top 2 of Group B to reach the semifinals
Korea Takes the Match Against Taiwan with Zeka as the Starting Pick
The Republic of Korea League of Legends (LoL) team defeated Chinese Taipei (Taiwan) in the Group B qualifier at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games held at Aichi Sky Expo in Aichi, Japan, on the 30th. Korea started Kim Geon-woo, ‘Zeka,’ instead of ‘Faker’ Lee Sang-hyeok as its mid laner, alongside Zeus Choi Woo-je, Canyon Kim Geon-bu, Gumayusi Lee Min-hyeong, and Keria Ryu Min-seok.
Early on, Zeka and Zeus gained the initiative by securing kills. According to a Yonhap News report, at around 15 minutes, Korea recorded an ‘ace’ by eliminating all of Taiwan’s players in a skirmish over the Rift Herald, based on Keria’s engagement. Although Taiwan stacked up to 3 Dragon buffs, Korea maintained its advantage in subsequent skirmishes as well.
The Gold Gap Reached 5,000 at 20 Minutes, and the Match Ended at 25 Minutes
The difference in the match was not simply the result of a single skirmish. At around 20 minutes, Korea widened the total gold gap to more than 5,000 and pushed back Taiwan’s defense by leveraging the difference in champion growth. Ultimately, Korea destroyed Taiwan’s base just 25 minutes after the start of the game and won the first set.
This match was a victory for Korea at the starting point of the group stage. Group B consists of Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and India, with each team facing the others once in a single-game format. According to a Kookmin Ilbo report, a team must finish in the top 2 of the group to advance to the semifinals. Therefore, the quick win over Taiwan is meaningful, but this victory alone does not confirm Korea’s advancement to the semifinals.
Korea’s Remaining Opponents Are India and Hong Kong
After the first Group B match, Korea and Hong Kong each recorded 1 win. Korea will next face India and Hong Kong to determine the final group-stage standings. The group stage is structured so that the number of wins accumulated across three matches is a more direct criterion than one spectacular moment in a single game.
The decision to start Zeka against Taiwan also stands out. According to an OSEN report, Kim Geon-woo took the first position in the group stage, just as he did in the first exhibition match. It has been confirmed that the change in the starting lineup led to an actual victory, but the starting lineup for the subsequent matches has not been finalized.
References
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