Korean Military Service Pending

DRX Bot Laner Deft Looks to Play for Another Year

News 01-09-2022 12:30

Deft DRX — Can we expect to see Deft for another year? | © Riot Games

Because of the obligatory military service for South Korean players, the beloved bot laner, Deft, was assumed to play his last season this year. Though this might not be the case anymore, as he recently revealed on DRX Adventure that he might have a bit more time before going to the army.

Deft is a South Korean professional League of Legends player playing bot lane. He started his career already back in 2013, and many believed 2022 to be his final year in the professional League, as his age makes him applicable for obligatory military service in South Korea. Military service is mandatory for Korean citizens, and it also applies to professional League of Legends players, even though this often ends up ruining their careers.

Even though many had already assumed his retirement this year, it turns out that this might not be the case, as Deft revealed on the latest episode of DRX Adventure that he might be able to compete next year as well.

According to KevinKimLoL on Twitter, Deft had this to say about his current situation: "I did not disclose this to anywhere else yet, but I have somewhat resolved issues regarding my pending military service. I kept the thought that I may compete for next year all to myself up until now."

There were concerns that this may be Deft's last year, taking into consideration his age and the fact that all males in Korea that meet the eligibility are required to leave to perform mandatory service for a period of time

But, according to Deft, he can still compete next year
— Kevin Kim (@KevinKimLoL) August 31, 2022

There have been questions revolving around if he even needed to attend military service in the first place. That was because he is, similar to Faker, a high school dropout. If you drop out of high school in Korea, you are not obligated to serve in the military but, instead, have to do some alternative public service. Unlike Faker, however, Deft passed an exam, giving him a high school diploma despite dropping out. This means that, despite being a high school dropout like Faker, he still has to serve in the military at some point, though maybe not next year.

Currently, Deft plays for the Korean team DRX. The team just managed to make it to the LCK Playoffs this year but was eliminated from playoffs after losing 0-3 against Liiv Sandbox. However, on September 2, the team will get another chance to get a spot for Worlds 2022, as they face off kt Rolster in the LCK Regional Qualifier.

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