A K-Tourism Roadshow event featured five popular players, including the KT Rolster duo Kim Hyuk-kyu (“Deft”) and Cho Geon-hee (“BeryL”), as well as Heo Su (“ShowMaker”) from DPlus KIA, attracting around 100,000 Vietnamese gaming enthusiasts. (Image courtesy of LCK)
SEOUL, Jul. 17 (Korea Bizwire) – The League of Legends Champions Korea (LCK), South Korea’s premier professional esports league, is broadening its reach by boosting fan engagement in Vietnam, where viewership has recently surged.
According to the LCK secretariat on July 16, the Vietnamese broadcast of the 2024 LCK Spring Finals in April reached a peak concurrent viewership (PCU) of 561,257. This figure represents approximately 11% of the total 5.17 million concurrent viewers for the finals.
Vietnamese viewership of LCK has shown steady growth since the introduction of Vietnamese-language broadcasts in 2021.
While the numbers fluctuated initially—from 310,000 in the 2021 Summer Finals to 293,000 and 206,000 in the Spring and Summer of 2022, respectively—they rebounded strongly in 2023. The Spring and Summer seasons of that year saw 323,000 and 375,000 viewers, respectively, before this year’s significant leap.
The average concurrent viewership for LCK’s Vietnamese broadcasts also hit a milestone this spring, surpassing 100,000 for the first time with 118,000 viewers. This marks a substantial increase from 78,000 in Spring 2023 and 90,000 in Summer 2023.
The dramatic rise in LCK’s Vietnamese fan base can be attributed not only to the strong performance of Korean teams in international competitions but also to concerted efforts by the league and individual teams to penetrate overseas markets.
Last September, LCK participated in the International Travel Expo (ITE) in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam’s largest tourism exhibition. The LCK booth, featuring OK Savings Bank Brion player Park Ru-han, known as “Morgan,” drew over 1,000 fans for an autograph session.
Recognizing the popularity of Korean esports in Vietnam, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization held a K-Tourism Roadshow event in Hanoi last May.
The event featured five popular players, including the KT Rolster duo Kim Hyuk-kyu (“Deft”) and Cho Geon-hee (“BeryL”), as well as Heo Su (“ShowMaker”) from DPlus KIA, attracting around 100,000 Vietnamese gaming enthusiasts.
Individual teams are also focusing on the Vietnamese market. Hanwha Life Esports recently held a global fan event in Ho Chi Minh City, featuring head coach Choi In-kyu and the starting roster. The event drew 1,500 Hanwha Life Esports fans.
LCK champion Gen.G also hosted a fan meeting at Another Saigon, a brand experience space opened by their sponsor LG Electronics in Ho Chi Minh City.
The event included a unique competition where amateur Vietnamese fans, after a day’s training at Gen.G’s Global Academy, formed mixed teams with Gen.G players.
An esports industry insider noted, “With over 60% of its population under 40, Vietnam has a core demographic that’s highly familiar with gaming. The popularity of League of Legends and the country’s own VCS league makes Vietnam an emerging market that’s attracting significant attention.”
Lina Jang (linajang@koreabizwire.com)
