The Ruler Affair Extends Beyond League of Legends

In late March, Gen.G's ADC Park "Ruler" Jae-hyuk was caught up in a major tax controversy that shook the South Korean League of Legends scene. Two weeks later, the repercussions were perhaps being felt in games and communities that had nothing to do with the affair.

How the Korean Military System Works

To understand what is happening, a brief explanation is necessary. Military service is mandatory in South Korea. Those assigned to active duty serve directly in the armed forces, while others — typically those deemed unfit for active service — fulfill their obligations through social service, working in public institutions such as welfare centers or government offices.

This is still military service. These individuals are employed by the military, subject to its rules, and cannot freely take on secondary activities. However, the Korean military (ROKA) has historically allowed certain social service workers to participate in esports tournaments outside of their working hours, on a case-by-case basis, under specific conditions set by the military.

It was under this framework that a number of professional players were continuing their competitive careers while completing their military obligations.

A Revocation With Immediate Consequences

According to Korean outlet Gameple, that framework has now collapsed. In the wake of the Ruler scandal, ROKA revoked a number of these individual authorizations. Players and coaches in the scene have directly linked the revocations to the Ruler controversy — with one coach stating plainly: "It's because of the incident everyone knows about."

Why? Ruler himself has been exempt from mandatory military service since 2023, when he was part of the South Korean national team that won gold in League of Legends at the Hangzhou Asian Games — a victory that, under Korean law, grants athletes an exemption from military service.

In the court of public opinion, the combination of that exemption and the current fiscal controversy has amplified the reaction — particularly in a country where military service obligations are a deeply sensitive social issue.

The timing of the revocations aligns with the public eruption of the scandal in late March, though no official confirmation has been provided by ROKA or any government institution [Update 04/16: ROKA has since issued an official response to Gamemeca — see end of article]. The consequences were immediate.

When Careers Collide With Politics

On April 11th, Moon "Seogunam" Jun-ho, a professional player for GC Busan in the Eternal Return competitive scene, announced his retirement during a livestream, visibly distressed. His authorization to participate in tournaments had been pulled without warning, mid-competition season.

The ripple extended further. "Snow Flower", competing across multiple titles, shared publicly on X that he would be unable to participate in any D4DJ or Shadowverse tournaments in 2026 as a result of what he called "the LoL incident." He had already received his authorization — only for it to be revoked while competition was already underway. Six months of preparation, gone.

"The fact that something I spent six months preparing for disappears because of one person's actions — that's really something," he wrote.

The Broader Stakes

Eternal Return is no niche title in the country. Backed by South Korea's Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and organized in partnership with KeSPA, it operates through a regional franchise system with teams representing cities across the country, competing in dedicated esports stadiums. It is one of only three titles featured in the Korea Esports League, and one of the games set to feature at the Esports Championships Asia 2026 (ECA 2026). The 2026 KEL season, running from May through November, is the backbone of its competitive calendar. Missing it is not an inconvenience — for many players, it effectively ends their season.

The affected players were not seeking special treatment. They were competing on their personal time, within the rules of a system that had been functioning without incident — until now. Multiple Eternal Return teams are currently awaiting official guidance from the KEL on how to proceed.

Meanwhile, the LCK has not yet reached a decision regarding the Ruler case, but confirmed to RFT on 31 March that an investigation was underway.

Update — April 16, 2026

Following the publication of this article, Gamemeca one of South Korea's leading gaming outlets contacted the military directly for comment. According to the outlet, a military spokesperson explicitly denied any connection to the Ruler affair, stating that the matter was "unrelated to Park Jae-hyuk (Ruler)" and that "there has been no policy change, and no directive for stricter management has been sent to local offices."

Gamemeca also points to a pre-existing legal framework that may explain the revocations independently of the Ruler controversy. Article 28, Section 3 of the Social Service Worker Duty Management Regulations already restricts, in principle, secondary activity authorizations for professional players — meaning the revocations may reflect a stricter application of existing rules rather than a new policy triggered by the scandal. The outlet also notes that a member of the K-pop group "Winner" was arrested in December for unauthorized absence during social service, which may have contributed to broader scrutiny of social service workers' secondary activities.