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StarCraft 2 champion ‘Life’ arrested for alleged involvement with match fixing
In yet another blow to the Korean StarCraft 2 esports community, legendary player Lee “Life” Seung Hyun has been arrested for allegedly participating in match fixing in professional tournaments. Seung Hyun is ranked third in StarCraft 2’s ELO ranking system, and he has won a total of 10 professional tournaments in his career.
This is the second year in a row that a high profile Korean StarCraft player has been charged with match fixing. Last year, the coach and several members of the esports team PRIME, including Choi “YoDa” Byeong-Heon, were arrested for match fixing, which is against South Korea’s gambling laws.
“The association will pursue strong legal measures based on recent reports, and will be utterly uncompromising should investigators find any hint of connection,” Cho Man Soo, director of the Korea e-Sports Association (KeSPA), said at the time. “Going forward, the association’s stance toward illegal betting will continue to be one of zero-compromise, and we will continue to respond strongly to create a healthy e-Sports culture.”
Seung Hyun is being investigated by the Changwon District Public Prosecutor’s Office, the same office that handled last year’s match-fixing case.
If he is found guilty, KeSPA will strip Seung Hyun of all StarCraft titles he had won under its jurisdiction, and it will also permanently ban him from participating in any other KeSPA events.
However, even if convicted of match fixing, it is unlikely that Seung Hyun would spend any time in jail. Previous convicted match fixers, such as Ma “sAviOr” Jae Yoon, have been sentenced to community service and several years of probation.
Image courtesy of Blizzard Entertainment
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