Busan wins the national finals of the 18th President's Cup National Amateur Esports Championship (KeG). [Provided by Busan IT Industry Promotion Agency]
Busan wins the national finals of the 18th President's Cup National Amateur Esports Championship (KeG). [Provided by Busan IT Industry Promotion Agency]

Busan claimed the overall title at the 18th President's Cup National Amateur Esports Championship national finals with 168 points — its first championship in 15 years since 2011.

The Busan Metropolitan City government and the Busan IT Industry Promotion Agency announced Wednesday that the city's team defeated the South Jeolla Province-Gwangju representative 2-0 in the League of Legends final held Sunday at Gyeongju Indoor Gymnasium, then added a runner-up finish in Eternal Return to comfortably outpace Daejeon Metropolitan City (130 points) and Jeju Special Self-Governing Province (108 points).

Busan's path to the title began with regional qualifying rounds in July. The agency held preliminary rounds on July 18 and a main selection event on July 25 at Busan esports arena Brena, drawing 132 players across 45 teams in four titles — League of Legends, Eternal Return, FC Online and Brawl Stars — to select 14 players to represent the city.

Ahead of the national finals, the agency provided title-by-title online and in-person training, including replay reviews, scouting reports on rival regional teams and position-specific coaching. On the day of the finals, on-site coaching staff were stationed alongside the players throughout the competition.

Busan has built its identity as a gaming city since hosting the international game expo G-Star from 2009, cultivating a creative ecosystem through the Busan Indie Connect Festival (BIC) from 2015 and establishing the region's first permanent esports arena, Brena. Building on that industrial foundation, the city has expanded its role from one that hosts tournaments to one that develops players and talent and sends them onto the national stage.

Since 2016, the city has operated GC Busan, a local amateur esports team that has supported 126 players. After resuming team operations last year, this year the Eternal Return squad GC Busan Stella competed in the Korea Esports League (KEL) and finished runner-up at the Mid-Season Cup on Aug. 2.

The Brena Best Player Championship, the city's flagship amateur tournament, was held for the third consecutive year and is set to return in October. A community support project backs 14 esports communities with 1,134 active members, and tiered, title-specific training programs for amateur gamers looking to improve their skills run year-round.

This year, Brena hosted the National Youth Sports Festival esports events, as well as national finals for middle and high school competitions and a university league. A full development pathway — from school-level play to community skill-building, regional qualifying and the national stage — has begun to circulate entirely within Busan.

"The overall KeG title after 15 years is the result of the esports foundation and player development system Busan has built up," said Lee Jae-deok, acting president of the Busan IT Industry Promotion Agency. "Together with the city, we will complete Busan's vision as an esports hub city where arenas, talent and companies reinforce one another in a virtuous cycle."


kaf2002@heraldcorp.com