LCK Free Agency Round-up: Gen.G’s Canyon re-signs and Worlds Finalists depart their organisation

The League of Legends Champions Korea (LCK) rostermania has kicked off in spectacular fashion, with over thirty players and coaches officially leaving their organisations.

The players and coaches enter Free Agency, following the passing of the November 17 contract deadline, marking the last day of over forty players and coaching staff in the league.

LCK players/coaches who entered Free Agency on November 17:

Gen.G:

UPDATE: Canyon Re-Signs with Gen.G

Gen.G have announced that Kim ‘Canyon’ Geon-bu will remain part of the organisation for the 2026 season, after a 2025 that saw Gen.G largely dominate, only to fall short of Worlds glory yet again.

Gen.G were winners of the LCK 2025 season, as well as EWC and MSI, but lost to KT Rolster in surprise fashion in the semi-finals of Worlds 2025.

𝐂𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐆𝐞𝐧.𝐆 𝐋𝐨𝐋 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐦!

'Canyon’ Gunboo Kim is staying with Gen.G LoL team in 2026. With his sharp decision-making and exceptional teamfight skills, Canyon will continue alongside Gen.G as they push toward even greater heights. Please… pic.twitter.com/ZO09yI3y4k

— Gen.G Esports (@GenG) November 19, 2025

Gen.G initially announced the departure of Canyon on the contract lapse deadline, before later re-signing.

𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮, 𝐂𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐨𝐧

As of today, our contract with 'Canyon' Gunboo Kim has come to an end. We are sincerely grateful for everything he brought to the team during his time with us. The moments we shared will not be forgotten. We wish him all the success and happiness… pic.twitter.com/OQ3VOEzD4u

— Gen.G Esports (@GenG) November 18, 2025

Gen.G also said goodbye to three of its coaching staff, with Head Coach Jungsu ‘KIM’ Kim, Coach Youngjae ‘Helper’ Kwon, and Coach Dabin ‘Lyn’ Kim all leaving the org after their disappointing Worlds 2025 exit at the hands of KT Rolster.

The organisation quickly announced KIM’s replacement, with Ryu ‘Ryu’ Sangwook Yoo joining the org from BNK FEARX.

T1:

Lee ‘Gumayusi’ Min-hyeong is now a free agent after leaving T1, with the org losing another member of the famous ZOFGK five.

The three-time Worlds Champion departs as the MVP of Worlds Finals, after an outstanding performance in both the Grand Final and the playoffs generally.

The Korean had suffered from being benched early in the year, but fought back into the roster after CEO Joe Marsh intervened to restore him to the roster, ultimately leading to another Worlds title in Chengdu.

𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮, 𝐆𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐲𝐮𝐬𝐢

'Gumayusi' 이민형 선수가 T1을 떠나 새로운 도전을 시작하게 되었습니다.
함께한 시간 동안 들어 올린 트로피와 'Gumayusi' 선수가 남긴 발자취는 팀과 팬들의 마음에 오래도록 빛날 것입니다.
T1은 'Gumayusi' 선수의 헌신과 희생, 그리고 눈부신 활약에 대해… pic.twitter.com/zhiC6v7Qqu

— T1 LoL (@T1LoL) November 17, 2025

T1 also says goodbye to Gumayusi’s replacement in those early-season struggles, with Shin ‘Smash’ Geum-jae departing the organisation.

The move means that T1 must be looking outside of the org for Guma’s replacement, with former Gen.G prodigy Kim ‘Peyz’ Su-hwan linked to the org.

Update: T1 have confirmed the signing of Peyz until 2028

Hanwha Life Esports (HLE):

UPDATE: Viper departs HLE

HLE have announced the departure of longstanding bot laner, Park ‘Viper’ Do-hyeon.

It ends a second stint at the organisation, which saw Ciper win LCK Summer 2024, the LCK Cup 2025, and First Stand 2025.

The departure opens up the potential spot for Gumayusi in the HLE roster, where he may rejoin his former T1 teammate, Choi ‘Zeus’ Woo-je.

Hanwha Life Esports will part ways with Park ‘Viper’ Do-hyeon following the conclusion of the 2025 season. We express our deepest gratitude for Viper’s dedication and hard work over the past three years. We sincerely wish him the very best in his future endeavors and the new… pic.twitter.com/jIcwoj7dGp

— Hanwha Life Esports (@HLEofficial) November 19, 2025

HLE said goodbye to three members of its coaching staff as it approaches 2026.

Head Coach Choi ‘DanDy’ In-gyu, Coach Shin ‘Shine’ Dong-wook, and Analyst Kim ‘Bibra’ Hyeon-sik all depart the organisation ahead of what is expected to be a highly ambitious rebuild.

The November 17 deadline also marked the last official day of Han ‘Peanut’ Wang-ho with HLE, who leaves esports to complete his mandatory military service.

The organisation shared a heartfelt message for the former MSI, First Stand, and LCK champion, stating, “To ‘Peanut’ Wangho Han, who walked his path more fiercely and beautifully than anyone, we extend our deepest gratitude and respect.”

Hanwha Life Esports’ ‘Peanut’ Wangho Han has turned the final page of his remarkable career and will be concluding his journey as a professional player.

On countless stages, Peanut made swift, fearless decisions and led his team with unmatched passion. He has always been our… pic.twitter.com/pDn9KeATQ3

— Hanwha Life Esports (@HLEofficial) November 18, 2025

KT Rolster:

KT Rolster have released their support, Jeong ‘Peter’ Yoon-su, and bot laner, Seo ‘deokdam’ Dae-gil, ahead of the 2026 season.

The players had hugely impactful moments in the organisation’s run to the Worlds Grand Final, with Peter and deokdam attracting plenty of new fans to the org.

Yet, KT Rolster were only at that major after a miracle run, which saw them qualify by defeating Gen.G at the LCK Finals.

Overall, the roster lacked consistency to support their superstars in Gwak ‘Bdd’ Bo-seong and Moon ‘Cuzz’ Woo-chan, perhaps leading to the decision.

The contract with deokdam, Peter, Casting, YoungJae, Paduck have concluded, and they have now transitioned to free agent status.
We sincerely appreciate their dedication to the team, and we wish them all the best in their new journeys ahead. pic.twitter.com/5lXTDRiG3S

— KT Rolster (@KTRolsterLoL) November 18, 2025

Dplus Kia:

Dplus announced that Cho ‘BeryL’ Geon-hee and Kim ‘Aiming’ Ha-ram would leave the organisation.

The support and bot lane duo leave after a middling year, which saw DRX disappointingly take part in the Rise Group of LCK splits 3-5.

Head Coach Bae ‘Bengi’ Seong-woong, Coach Lee ‘PoohManDu’ Jeong-hyun, and Coach Ha ‘Hachani’ Seung-chan leave the org, with Kim ‘cvMax’ Dae-ho taking over as Head Coach for the 2026 season.

𝗧𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸 𝘆𝗼𝘂, 𝗕𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗟.

Dplus KIA와 다시 호흡하며 팀을 위해 열정을 다한 'BeryL' 조건희 선수와의 여정을 마무리합니다. 'BeryL' 선수가 팀의 발전을 위해 기울인 노력과 긍정적인 영향력에 진심으로 감사드리며, 그동안의 영광과 함께 오래도록 저희의 마음속에 간직하겠습니다.… pic.twitter.com/6Lkq5mY8QF

— Dplus Kia (@DplusKia) November 18, 2025

UPDATE: DRX say goodbye to Pleata

DRX have not re-signed Son ‘Pleata’ Min-woo. The Support was raised with DRX DNA since 2019, having taken part in Kingzone DragonZ, DragonZ Academy, before the team once again rebranded to DRX.

Despite several stints in the main team, he was once again placed in the Challengers roster before being released at the end of the 2025 season.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐃𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐊𝐙

더 큰 세상으로 날아갈 Pleata의 도약을 DRX가 온 마음을 담아 응원하겠습니다.
📺 https://t.co/rkceqQa39P#DRX #UnbreakableSpirit pic.twitter.com/1foJzISo7W

— DRX League of Legends (@DRX_LCK) November 18, 2025

DRX

DRX have made sweeping changes, releasing jungler, Bae ‘Sponge’ Young-jun, mid laner, Kang ‘kyeahoo’ Ye-hoo, and bot laner Park ‘Teddy’ Jin-seong.

Head Coach, Kim ‘Ssong’ Sang-soo, and Coach Noh ‘Alive’ Jin-wook also leave the organisation in what has been a poor year for the once Worlds-winning organisation.

DRX announced the retention of Moon ‘Andil’ Gwan-bin, whose contract lapsed on November 17, as he signed a one-year extension with the organisation.

𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮 & 𝐅𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐥

Our journey with Ssong, Alive, Sponge, Pleata, Juhan, and Teddy has come to an end as they depart DRX and enter free agency. Additionally, kyeahoo and DRX have mutually agreed to part ways, allowing him to pursue the next chapter of his… pic.twitter.com/3boeTpxdPa

— DRX League of Legends (@DRX_LCK) November 18, 2025

OKSavingsBank BRION

OKSavingsBank BRION said goodbye to its entire roster. The organisation marketed their 2025 with the slogan “Blow it up,” and they certainly have done that to their roster.

The organisation parted with Oh ‘Pollu’ Dong-gyu, Lee ‘Clozer’ Ju-hyeon, Ham ‘HamBak’ Yoo-jin, Kim ‘Croco’ Dong-beom, and Park ‘Morgan’ Ru-han.

They also saw Coach Kim ‘GuGer’ Do-yeop leave and Byeon ‘Hype’ Jeong-hyeon’s loan with KT Challengers lapsing, with whom he then signed.

DN Freecs

DN Freecs says goodbye to former T1 academy player, Kim ‘Berserker’ Min-cheol, and Lee ‘BuLLDoG’ Tae-young.

The bot laner and mid player were part of a DN Freecs who finished last in the LCK regular season, finishing with a 4-26 series record despite playing in the weaker Rise Group.

Nongshim RedForce

NS RedForce released Kim ‘GIDEON’ Min-seong on November 16.

The player, who was a graduate of NS Esports Academy, vacates the jungler role for Nongshim RedForce.

Coach Kim ‘SSUN’ Tae-yan leaves the organisation, which additionally made wholesale changes to its academy roster.

[OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT] #LCK

Nongshim RedForce and 'GIDEON' have decided to part ways.

Through both doubt and expectation, GIDEON proved himself with sharp skirmishing and intelligent setups that contributed greatly to our victories.
We extend our deepest gratitude to GIDEON… pic.twitter.com/ECJGHQPbvt

— NS RedForce (@NS_RedForce) November 17, 2025

Update: Nongshim RedForce announces the signing of Sponge

Nongshim RedForce have announced the signing of Sponge, who had not been re-signed by DRX.

The jungle will take his place in NS for the 2026 season.

The org stated, “Sponge is a player with tremendous untapped potential. We look forward to seeing him unlock that talent as a member of Nongshim RedForce, and we ask for your warm support as he begins this new chapter with the team.”

[OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT] #LCK

Nongshim RedForce welcomes jungler “Sponge” to our LCK roster.

Known for his proactive playmaking and exceptional early-game impact, Sponge is a player with tremendous untapped potential. We look forward to seeing him unlock that talent as a member… pic.twitter.com/Yy81S0P3Ts

— NS RedForce (@NS_RedForce) November 19, 2025