Korean ‘Overwatch League’ Player Faces Backlash Over Taiwan, Hong Kong Comments on Stream

May 6, 2021

Several Chinese “Overwatch League” teams have recently threatened to boycott any events involving a Korean professional player in response to his comment on Taiwan and Hong Kong last month.

The details: Jong-ryeol “Saebyeolbe” Park shared his experience using Douyu, a Chinese streaming platform, via Twitch on April 12.

The Seoul Dynasty DPS said he had certain restrictions on what he could and could not say when broadcasting on the platform, including his opinion on the “One China” policy, according to Kotaku.

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The player also said he was allegedly told by managers he had to be a “Chinese dog” to earn money.
The past stream is no longer available on Park’s Twitch channel.
Two days after the stream, Park posted a picture of a handwritten letter on his Instagram, taking “responsibility” and apologizing for “once again disappointing fans” as translated by @gatamchun.

The aftermath: Chinese teams Shanghai Dragons, Chengdu Hunters, Hangzhou Spark and Guangzhou Charge condemned the professional player’s action on Monday, nearly three weeks after Park’s apology. The player has not played in a professional match since his stream.

The teams added they would be boycotting any future events involving the Korean professional player.
Chengdu Hunters general manager Yiheng “Luke” Qin called out Park in a lengthy Weibo post where he advised Park as a player to “focus on the competition itself and fix his/her heart to the glory of the team.”
Shanghai Dragon’s Yang Van also commented on Weibo, saying the “Competitive sports should remain pure sports and shouldn’t be used to announce a political position.” He also added Park’s apology was not enough and he should “understand his public position.”
Guangzhou Charge’s general manager M4ND4R4 and Hangzhou Spark’s supervisor Huang “Xioagui” Tsung-Yu also posted their statement on Weibo and affirmed boycotting future events involving Park.
Overwatch League, Seoul Dynasty and other Korean players playing with and for other Chinese have yet to comment on the matter.

Featured Image via @saebyeolbeow (left) and @gatamchun (right)

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