Ruler exposed for tax evasion!

GEN, as the champion team of the LCK's first stage, was hoped by many LCK viewers to complete the "Golden Road" this year. Yet, an event that devastated many LCK fans happened: GEN completely humiliated themselves in the Pioneer Tournament, being eliminated by G2 with a clean sweep. Although G2 recently revealed they won more than lost in training matches against GEN during the Pioneer Tournament, many spectators still suspect some GEN players of match-fixing. Numerous LCK fans even went to the LCK official blog and Riot Games' official channels pleading to check the phones of GEN's players.

With GEN's public reputation collapsing, the team's core player Ruler was recently investigated for "tax evasion." According to leaks on the LCK official forum, Ruler hired his father as his agent, allowing him to pay his father a high salary and then use his father's name to purchase large amounts of stocks and personal assets. This behavior was reported by the National Tax Service, alleging Ruler was involved in "tax evasion." Ruler不服气 and chose to appeal to the local court.

After numerous insider revelations, Ruler was ultimately ruled by the court as guilty of "tax evasion." The court's reasoning was straightforward: Ruler's father did not perform any agent duties nor had any stock trading experience or actions; everything was operated by Ruler personally. Many LCK viewers, upon learning of Ruler's actions, criticized him for destroying his own future, as many star players in LCK have higher salaries than Ruler, yet only Ruler was caught in such a scandal.

According to LCK official regulations, Ruler will face a fine of one billion Korean won and be suspended by the LCK. Many LPL viewers, after hearing this news, also wondered whether they would see Ruler in future Asian Games and World Championships. Of course, many also believe Ruler's desire to participate in this Asian Games might not be strong, since he already avoided military service through the previous Asian Games. (Many also speculate that GEN's poor performance in the Pioneer Tournament might be due to the players being affected by Ruler's situation.)

LCK's reputation relies entirely on Faker to uphold it.

After Ruler's scandal曝光, many LPL viewers celebrated, thinking LPL would have fewer strong competitors like GEN in future international tournaments. If Ruler is indeed suspended by officials, GEN's team strength would surely be impacted. Many also believe that in World Championships, LPL only has T1 as a major rival; LPL teams tend to win more against other LCK teams, but have zero wins in BO5 against T1.

Some even think LCK's reputation and achievements全靠 Faker硬撑, as LCK has continuously faced "scandals" in recent years, but Faker's光环 as a player has shielded them from complete reputation collapse. (LCK's recent scandals include harassment of minors, overseas incidents involving Korean players, and even internal bullying, which are common in LCK. These scandals have been substantiated, making LPL appear somewhat more normal.)

Conclusion

Of course, many industry insiders爆料 that if Ruler successfully pays the fine, he still has hope of returning to competition. After all, DOINB was also deeply involved in tax evasion, but he could return to the LOL arena in the future. Many LPL viewers also believe if Ruler cannot play in LCK, he might come to LPL to compete.