12 arrested in Korea for fixing StarCraft II matches

Tuesday 20th of October 2015

Twelve people have been arrested in South Korea in association with allegations of match-fixing and illegal gambling on StarCraft II matches, local media reported.

One of those arrested was Park Wae-Sik, head coach of the pro team Prime, and Choi “YoDa” Byung Hyun, a pro gamer and member of Prime, according to a statement released yesterday by the Korean eSports Association.

Others arrested include team member BBoongBBoong, or Choi Jong-Hyuk, and former gamer and current eSports journalist Enough, or Seong Jun-mo. Enough reportedly acted as a broker between players and two financial backers with ties to organized crime rings.

A total of five professional StarCraft II matches were found to have been fixed according to an investigation led by the Changwon Regional Prosecutor.

Four were played by YoDa, and one was played by BBoongBBoong. The matches took place in the Global StarCraft II League and Proleague between January and June of this year.

BBoongBBoong reportedly received KRW5 million ($4,400) to fix a ProLeague match in January. YoDa received KRW 30 million for throwing two matches in February and April, then was allegedly blackmailed into throwing two more matches without compensation in May and June.