Who is Faker? All about South Korean Esports player awarded the Cheongnyong Medal

League of Legends world champion Lee ‘Faker‘ Sang-hyeok has been awarded the Cheongnyong Medal.

The six-time champion has been adorned with the nation’s highest sporting decoration by the President, Lee Jae-myung, himself. As part of South Korea’s New Year reception on January 2, 2026, he was awarded the Cheongnyong Medal, which is the nation’s highest award for sporting achievements. However, it has mostly been given to Olympic gold medalists and other world champions in traditional sports until now.

Faker, who is the T1 mid laner, is the first esports athlete to receive this honor. Besides him, professional footballer Son Heung-min, baseball player Park Chan-ho, and competition climber Kim Jain have also been previous recipients of the award.

In South Korea, the Medal of Sports is split into five classes: Cheongyeong, Maengho, Geosang, Baekma, and Girin. Besides that, the gamer has won several awards over the past 12 months, including Esports PC Player of the Decade at the Esports Decade Awards in Saudi Arabia.

More about Lee ‘Faker‘ Sang-hyeok

The gamer won his sixth League of Legends world title by defeating KT Rolster in the Grand Final. He also became the first player to score 1,000 kills in international tournaments.

Now that his career has bloomed, the esports champ has scored quite a few brand deals, including a McDonald’s deal to promote a limited-time menu item. A portion of sales is donated to charity. After his fifth world championship win, he launched a mouse mat in collaboration with Razer.

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