Two individuals have been charged by South Korean authorities over match fixing in the qualifier for OGN’s Overwatch league.
The manager and coach of Luminous Solar, Jin Seok-hoon and Baek Min-jeh, have been been charged over match fixing in the wildcard qualifier finals for OGN Overwatch APEX Challengers Season 3 according to an Inven report translated by ESPN Esports.
According to OGN’s investigation, which was released in February, the pair attempted to persuade opponents UnLimited to throw the game. They offered the team a guaranteed sponsorship deal in exchange for the loss, which would have qualified Luminous Solar for the second division of the APEX tournament.
Luminous Solar did win the game, but due to the match fixing being discovered they were disqualified from the Challengers tournament.
Seok-hoon and Min-jeh also falsified a medical certificate for one of the team’s players, allowing them to bring in a last minute substitute.
Following OGN’s findings the pair were banned for life from OGN events, as was the Luminous Solar organisation. In order to take part in future events, the players from that roster must compete under a different banner.
UnLimited player Choi Yoon-soo, who was also involved in the match fixing discussions, was banned from OGN events for the season.
Match fixing has been a long running issue in Korean esports. Almost exactly a year ago eleven StarCraft players faced criminal charges, including 2014 WCS champion Lee “Life” Seung Hyun.
