Driven by their love for gaming, SPOTV’s League of Legends announcer ‘Su-Hyeon Kim’ and translator ‘Jee-Sun Park’ embarked on their journey within the esports scene. Although the two are relatively new to the scene when compared to more well-known esports figures, they’ve established a connection with fans worldwide through their entertaining broadcast segments and charm. As partners, the two work side by side to bring entertainment to both fans in Korea and abroad.



Known for her iconic glasses, Su-Hyeon brightens the atmosphere within the esports stadium with her energetic personality. As for Jee-Sun, she acts as the bridge between the Korean audience and the rest of the world; during broadcasts, she provides translations of player interviews for those overseas, while bringing in comments and reactions from English-speaking communities to share with the Korean fans. Their roles within the LCK broadcast undoubtedly enrich the viewing experience for fans worldwide.



“I want to be remembered as that woman who did this for esports.” The two passionate esports enthusiasts asserted their desire to dive deeper into the esports scene and become a larger part of it. In order to learn more about them, our team reached out and spoke with the two at a local coffee shop near the Gangnam Nexon Arena.

▲ Translator Jee-Sun (left) and announcer Su-Hyeon



Please introduce yourselves for the English speaking audience!



Su-Hyeon: I’m an announcer for the LCK, Su-Hyeon Kim.



Jee-Sun: I’m in charge of translating here in the LCK, my name is Jee-Sun Park.





What brought you to work in the esports scene?



Su-Hyeon: I used to really enjoy playing FPS games, and that’s what brought me to the esports scene. Eventually, I started taking interest in other genres as well. Honestly speaking, at first, I had little to no interest in League of Legends. I always enjoyed playing games that not too many people played.



But now, I’m at the point where I’m addicted to League. I’m playing 5 hours a day. My partner, Jee-Sun, she’s a really great player -- while I get flamed in normals, she carries me.



Jee-Sun: Su-Hyeon plays a lot of ARAM because I recommended it to her -- I was afraid that she was going to get really stressed out playing Summoner’s Rift. In addition to that, I think ARAM is a great way to improve your champion pool and mechanics -- for example: getting used to dodging skillshots.



As for myself, I used to play a wide variety of games in the past. Then one day, I started playing League of Legends, and I fell in love with it. While playing, many people recommended that I watch League videos online and learn from them. That’s when I began watching the LCK.



I was having a lot of fun, and it led me to begin looking for opportunities in esports. I started by attending college esports competitions. In time, through a connection, I learned that the LCK was desperately looking for a translator; there wasn’t one available when a Finals was going on. That’s when I applied for the job, and thankfully, made it through the interview.





You’ve mentioned that you two play a lot of League of Legends. How skilled are you guys? Which champion would you say is your main?



Su-Hyeon: As I’ve mentioned, I’ve only been playing normals and ARAM. I want to be like Faker -- I want to play hundreds, thousands of normals until I’m confident that I can carry in a ranked game. (Laughs) Ever since I began playing FPS games, I have been a very competitive gamer; I hate losing.



As for my main champion… since I mostly play ARAM, I don’t really have one. Champions that I enjoy playing in ARAM include Lux, Karthus, Pyke -- Effort (Laughs) -- and Darius. Since every other champion is in close proximity to yours in ARAM, it’s really easy getting off the executes. I enjoy playing champions that can get the job done -- they have to be capable of getting the finishing shot. It doesn’t feel that great when I get assists. (Laughs)



Jee-Sun: I’m a gold player and nowadays I play Zoe and Twisted Fate. As for my main roles, it’s mid and ADC.



Su-Hyeon: Another thing that’s keeping me away from ranked games is that, despite being such a great player, Jee-Sun is only gold!



Jee-Sun: What are you talking about? (Laughs)



Su-Hyeon: When I begin ranked, I want to at least place platinum.





You two have been working together in the SPOTV LCK broadcast for a while. Do you guys perform well together?



Su-Hyeon: Usually, being broadcasted live is stressful. But when I’m with Jee-Sun, it’s fun -- It feels like I forget that I’m live on TV. That’s also what the director wanted for the show: for us to be at ease and having fun. In addition, Jee-Sun is perfect for broadcasts -- I was very impressed with how she managed to interpret and reply to things that I said off-script.



Jee-Sun: I started announcing/translating for the LCK in Spring, and during my first day, I wasn’t given a script. The staff told me to find and read foreign reactions on the internet, and I felt devastated because I stuttered and made a lot of mistakes. To add to that, in general, I’m a pretty apprehensive person.



Then the staff told me to try it with Su-Hyeon, a professional announcer. While broadcasting with her, I share conversations with her and simply answer her questions. The reaction corner became a lot more natural and smoother with this change.





Do you guys hang out outside of work as well?



Su-Hyeon: Of course! During the off-season, we hang out… but most of the time, we play League together. When Jee-Sun plays, she plays until sunrise. She would tell me, “Hey, the sun is up. Let’s head to bed now.” (Laughs)





Since you guys have been broadcasting for a while now, there must be some memorable stories from work.



Jee-Sun: When KSV was renamed to GEN, I really couldn't get used to the new name, 'Gen.G Esports', so I accidentally called them KSV during a broadcast. But at the same time, Su-Hyeon made a mistake where she called 'Jin Air Green Wings', 'Jin Air Wings'.



At the end of our broadcast segment, we're supposed to shout "fighting!" for the team that we're wearing the uniform for. However, we both ended up forgetting to do that too, and just said our goodbyes to the fans and ended the segment. (Laughs)



Su-Hyeon: This isn’t really a story, but many of our fans began taking photos of us to upload them onto their social media like Twitter. They do photoshop on our pictures like how celebrities get theirs done. Those fans may not be aware that we're appreciating their work. But they take really good pictures.



▲ Su-Hyeon with her iconic glasses



Su-Hyeon, you’re really well-known for wearing black glasses during broadcasts. What made you wear them? What do the glasses mean to you?



Su-Hyeon: At first, without the glasses, I gave off a rather cold and sharp impression. Then, the director recommended that I wear glasses, saying that I’d look more docile with them.



When I first wore the glasses, I thought it was going to be a one-time thing, but the staff told me to continue wearing them. And to my surprise at the time, all the fans liked my new look.



Jee-Sun: I remember how confused Su-Hyeon was at first when she was told to keep wearing them.



Su-Hyeon: I used to carry around the glasses as an accessory, but it’s now become a part of my character. On workdays when I accidentally leave them home -- even if I have to risk being late for work -- I go back for them. But there is a downside to it though. On some of the broadcasts, people keep asking in chat, “where is glasses girl?” (Laughs) I actually dig the more “smooth” appearance the glasses give me, and in addition to that, it covers a large portion of my face, so that’s another bonus for broadcasting -- I feel more comfortable.





Have there been any memorable moments involving players?



Jee-Sun: I used to be a big ‘SKT T1 K’ fan back in the day. I remember talking to coach Bengi recently, and he said, “although we’ve been struggling recently, there are still a lot of fans who like us.” That made me feel so sad inside... I told him that I used to be an SKT fan.



I also had a very funny moment with Kuro and TusiN. TusiN tried hitting me with the toy hammer during the ‘10 Questions 10 Answers’ segment. Kuro is the team captain, so he named himself “King.” When I asked Kuro if TusiN is the queen, he tried hitting me! (Laughs)





▲ Jee-Sun's funny moment with Kuro and TusiN: Episode 6 of SPOTV's 'LCK 10 Questions 10 Answers'





I’m aware that the ‘10 Questions 10 Answers’ broadcast segments are done in English. Which LCK players speak the best English?



Jee-Sun: UmTi and Bang. UmTi studied abroad, so his English is naturally good. As for Bang, he doesn’t hold himself back. He’s not scared to make a mistake. Most other players get nervous and hold back with their words when speaking English.





Have you interviewed any foreign players? If so, which player was the most memorable?



Jee-Sun: Bjergsen and Uzi.



I interviewed Uzi after his All-Star victory. And before the interview, in order to lift the mood, I asked Candice, an LPL hostess, how to say congratulations in Chinese... I felt proud when Uzi replied back to me in Chinese when I said that during the interview. (Laughs)



As for Bjergsen, he has a very gentle aura about him. He was also very humble during the interview. Also, since he has close relations with Korean players, there were a lot of things that I could relate to with him.





We’ll now proceed to the ‘O-X Quiz’. It’s an interview segment that’ll allow us to see how well you two really know each other. The first statement is: “I know what the other’s favorite food is.”



Su-Hyeon: Jee-Sun’s favorite food is Malatang, a Chinese dish. She actually has a separate Instagram account for the sole purpose of uploading pictures of Malatang. (Laughs)



Jee-Sun: I'm not too sure about Su-Hyeon's favorite food...



Su-Hyeon: To be fair, I don't have a specific dish that I enjoy because I enjoy eating everything.





The second statement is: “I know how the other’s ideal man looks like.”



Jee-Sun: Since Soo-hyun is an energetic person, she likes calm guys. She also likes tall guys with wide, narrow eyes. (Laughs) To top it off, she really likes BTS’ Jeong-Guk.



Su-Hyeon: B1A4's Gong-Chan... She said she wants to marry him. (Laughs)





The third statement is: “I know the other’s favorite player.”



Su-Hyeon: My favorite player used to be Wraith before he retired. Not only was he handsome, he had a very calm personality. That’s why I really liked him. As for Jee-Sun, her favorite player is Faker.



Jee-Sun: It’s really cool seeing him play certain champions in the midlane, such as Riven, Katarina, and Ahri. He doesn’t just go even in lane with them either, he plays really well on them.



Su-Hyeon: I also have a lot of respect for Kuro. I really like how professional he is. During a broadcast of the LCK Finals once, Kuro acted professionally in front of the camera, and that left a big impression on me.



During the 2018 LCK Spring Finals team entrance, Su-Hyeon acted as the hype woman of the event and introduced the teams to the audience. How was the experience?



Jee-Sun: I honestly felt like I was given a too big of a responsibility at the time… I did the best that I could. Introducing the teams that are competing in the LCK Finals was always done by the legendary Korean caster, Jeon Yong-Jun. How can I even compare to him? I’ll need at least another 15 years of experience to sound like him.







Jee-Sun, you monitor the chatbox of the English broadcast of the LCK and foreign League of Legends communities in order to gather foreigners’ reactions for your segment in the show. Are there any cultural differences between the Korean fanbase and the rest of the world?



Jee-Sun: The English chat is full of emotes. Say for example, when a champion is picked during a game, the chat box gets flooded with emotes that resemble the picked champion. Also, since the LCK is a foreign league to them, most English-speaking fans seem to watch the LCK without being too attached to certain teams. So to them, it feels like every game is light-hearted and fun to watch. They get amazed at good plays, regardless of which team makes them, and they also enjoy making fun of losing LCK teams -- not a lot of people seem to get really upset when a team loses. They laugh at teams’ or players’ mistakes. They seem to be more casual towards the LCK than the Korean fans.





During broadcasts, you both wear the playing teams’ uniforms. Which team’s uniform is your favorite?



Su-Hyeon: The fans really liked it when I wore Jin Air Green Wing’s uniform. It goes really well with my glasses. Also, when Jee-Sun wears it, she looks like a school student. (Laughs)



Jee-Sun: Mine is SKT T1’s because I like uniforms that have long sleeves that reach down to my elbows. bbq Oliver’s uniform also looks great with its collar tee design.



▲ The two of them in team uniforms during a SPOTV broadcast



What do you think about the uniforms of teams from other leagues?



Jee-Sun: I think Cloud9’s uniform is really good looking. TSM’s baseball jacket also looks really cool.



Su-Hyeon: I’m actually jealous of the other regions in that regard. Some teams even have different uniforms for different events like Rift Rivals. I really wish Korea would do that, too.





What is your end goal?



Su-Hyeon: In Korea, there aren’t too many female esports casters, but I saw that the other regions have a lot of them. As for myself, I don’t specifically want to become a caster but more of an all-rounder that can be put to use for many things within the esports scene.



I saw Sjokz interviewing a player during MSI, and I was amazed at how she did it. She looked so at ease while doing it. LPL’s Froskurinn is also really stunning. I really want more female esports personalities here in Korea. Although it’s strange to classify male and female esports personalities separately, it’s also strange to just look at them as the same. There are definitely certain things that one gender can do better within a specific area of the scene. I want the esports scene to expand on this and create more opportunities for different people.



Jee-Sun: The things I like are in this order: League of Legends and LCK… so I want to continue to work in the esports scene. I want to be remembered by the people as “that woman who did this for esports.”





Is there anything you want to tell your fans overseas before we close this interview?



Su-Hyeon: A lot of fans abroad know me as LCK's "Harry Potter," and I'll continue to work within the esports scene.



Back in the day, many fans followed the LCK because it was known as the best LoL league. And although in the most recent international tournaments, they failed to raise a trophy, please note that the players of the LCK are constantly getting better and better. In addition, I believe that the LCK has a charm that no other league has. So please watch them on SPOTV!



Jee-Sun: The LCK is one of the most popular leagues in the League of Legends esports scene, but I felt that it was lacking content for the English-speaking audience. Although the LCK players aren't fluent in English, they really try their best when answering in English during '10 questions 10 answers'. I was also very thankful for all the feedback that the fans gave through Reddit. I want to continue to bring LCK content to the fans abroad. Please continue to show interest in the programs!