Former SK Telecom T1 top laner Kim “Khan” Dong-ha is reportedly joining FunPlus Phoenix for the 2020 season, according to a report by ESPN. The 23-year-old played for SK Telecom T1 for just under one year.
Khan joins FunPlus Phoenix
Formerly known as “Hanlabong,” Khan started competing in League of Legends in 2013. Given his experience in both the Chinese and Korean scenes, it seems he will be a great fit for FunPlus Phoenix. In comparison, many Korean players often face translation problems with team communication when moving into another region.
After finishing the 2018 League of Legends Champions Korea (LCK) Spring Split in 1st with Kingzone DragonX, Khan chose to join SK Telecom T1 for the new season. The team didn’t start off strong, however, only obtaining a 5 – 8th placement at 2018’s KeSPA Cup. Fortunately, the former World Champions quickly picked up the pace and took 1st in both the 2019 LCK Spring Split and Summer Playoffs. However, the team was also eliminated in the middle of this period by G2 Esports in 3 – 4th at the Mid-Season Invitational. This worried fans, who were concerned about SKT T1’s future chances at Worlds.
Leaving SK Telecom T1
This turned out to be the truth, as SK Telecom T1 once again fell to G2 Esports in the World Championships Semifinals. Shortly after, Khan, jungler Kim “Clid” Tae-mina, and coach Kim “kkOma” Jeong-gyun were released from the roster. While Clid went on to join Korean esports organization Gen.G, Khan will instead go to the Tencent League of Legends Pro League (LPL).
FunPlus Phoenix recently parted ways with jungler Chang “Xinyi” Ping. With Khan’s reported addition, will this mean the removal of Kim “GimGoon” Han-saem? Or will he move to academy team FunPlus Phoenix Blaze instead? Invictus Gaming famously won the 2018 World Championships, but they were not able to repeat the same result in 2019. Will FunPlus Phoenix follow suit, or can it establish itself with consecutive victories as SKT T1 has done in the past? Let us know about your opinion, and keep up with Daily Esports for all of your League of Legends coverage.
