- Riot Games and KeSPA suspend League of Legends Champions Korea (LCK) over coronavirus concerns.
- The indefinite break will start after the Spring season’s first round robin concludes on Mar. 6.
- Organizers do not know when games will resume.
Riot Games Korea and KeSPA announced today that the League of Legends Champions Korea (LCK) spring split is now on an indefinite break over growing concerns about the spread of the coronavirus in South Korea.
League of Legends Champions Korea Goes Indefinite Hiatus
The news surfaced in a press release published on the LCK portion of the Korea e-Sports Association (KeSPA) website.
The statement reads;
As the Corona 19 crisis alert has been raised to a “serious” level, the 2020 Woori Bank LCK Spring has decided to take a temporary break from the first round ending on March 6 (Friday) to prevent further spread of Korona 19 and to ensure the safety of LCK members.
The hiatus will come into effect from Mar. 6 after teams conclude their final games of the first round-robin of the LCK Spring split. The suspension also affects all second division League of Legends Challengers Korea games.
As it stands, there’s no date set for the league to resume its regular schedule. KesSPA and Riot Games Korea say they will make a decision based on the progress of the coronavirus outbreak. The organization will share follow-up arrangements as and when they become available.
South Korea Closing in on 5,000 Covid-19 Cases
South Korea now has nearly 5,000 reported cases of the coronavirus with a deal toll of 28 people. The country now has the most cases of coronavirus outside of China, where the outbreak first surfaced late last year.
With an estimated 600 new Covid-19 infections hitting the country today, the decision to suspend the LCK mimics the South Korean government’s efforts to contain the spread of the virus.
The LCK is the latest major eSports league affected by the virus. China’s League of Legends Pro League (LPL) suspended activities in late January as a precautionary measure.
The LPL said it expected the suspension to last until April at the earliest. But, League organizers announced last week that the season would resume on March 9 with all matches held online. It isn’t unreasonable to assume the LCK may adopt a similar approach when it deems it viable to resume games.
This article was edited by Samburaj Das.
