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The First Professional Gaming Team and Pro Gamers in Korea
StarCraft, released in 1998, gained immense popularity in Korea
and became a success, helping the growth of PC bangs (internet cafes) during the IMF crisis,
playing a major role in the development of Korean gaming culture.
With the spread of StarCraft and PC bangs, many Korean users
displayed exceptional skill, occupying many spots in the world rankings.
Among them, Shin Joo-young was a representative gamer of the late 90s.
Even before StarCraft, he was a gamer with extensive experience
winning various gaming competitions, including
a victory in a Virtua Fighter tournament held in Japan.
Shin Joo-young was a first-generation pro gamer who active alongside
Lee Ki-seok (famous for the Kornet CF), OnGameNet commentator Kim Do-hyung,
Bong Jun-gu, and Guk Ki-bong, and was renowned
for his outstanding skill.
He was said to be a very fast player and alternated between playing Zerg and Protoss.
- Screenshot of Shin Joo-young's match at the 1998 StarCraft Ladder Tournament -
He instantly raised his profile by winning the 1998 StarCraft Season 3 Ladder Tournament
hosted by Blizzard.
- Interview photo during the PGL qualifiers -
He was the only registered Korean player in the PGL tournament sponsored by AMD;
he participated in the 1999 Season 4 tournament
but unfortunately fell short in the final qualifiers.
For reference, the winner of PGL Season 4 was Guillaume Patry.
Active in both domestic and international competitions, Shin Joo-young holds
a significant historical record beyond just his skill.
In interviews with PC Player magazine (March 1999 issue) and newspapers,
he is recognized as the first person to officially introduce
his occupation as a "professional gamer."
In addition to participating in tournaments, he created a StarCraft strategy guide
which recorded sales of over 200,000 copies,
and collaborated with other gamers on a StarCraft novel based on the original game.
While it might seem lacking by today's standards, his strategy guide
was said to be a highly recommended book for StarCraft beginners.
- During the newspaper interview -
Since this was the early era before the term "eSports" even existed,
it's likely that earnings weren't huge, but when asked about income during a newspaper interview,
he implied that he had earned around 100 million won.
Considering the time period of the late 90s and his age,
it can be assumed that he earned a considerable amount of money.
Shin Joo-young also active as part of a team, which began with
"Seulgibang," a PC bang chain that started and grew in Busan.
At the time, they had a branch on the 6th floor of the Eagle Building in front of Yonsei University in Sinchon.
Seulgibang was a PC bang chain operated by a company called Cheong-oh Information & Communication,
which achieved great success nationwide.
They gathered famous domestic players to found Korea's first professional gaming team,
Team SG.
Team SG was formed by gathering players famous in the Korean StarCraft scene,
such as Shin Joo-young, Lee Ki-seok, Kim Chang-sun, Lim Young-soo, and Lee Chang-seung.
Unlike the small guild-style teams of the time, they received support from a specific corporation.
They were provided with the Sinchon branch of Seulgibang as a practice center and dormitory,
where they conducted practice and strategy research.
A manager was assigned to the team to manage and support the players.
The operating company, Cheong-oh Information & Communication,
set and paid a monthly salary of 1 million won,
operating in a manner similar to modern eSports organizations.
In a 2000 interview, Lee Ki-seok mentioned that his monthly income was around 2 to 3 million won,
and that the salary from Cheong-oh Information & Communication was separate.
However, due to the collapse of the early venture boom and subsequent restructuring,
the various teams where first-generation gamers were active were disbanded.
Cheong-oh Information & Communication also faced financial difficulties and adjustment issues,
leading to the disbandment of Team SG in December 2000,
and they faded into history.
However, the lineage of gaming teams did not end. As specialized gaming channels
and gaming leagues became active and the concept of eSports expanded,
corporations like SK and KT acquired and expanded existing small teams or founded new ones.
Through the discovery of new players and the organization of large-scale fandoms,
the void left by the early teams was filled.
Source: https://www.fmkorea.com/best/9904770776