Sandbox Gaming’s Kim “OnFleek” Jang-gyeom has been suspended for half of LCK Spring 2021 after the jungler made racist comments on stream during a game of solo queue. Both Riot Korea and Sandbox themselves handed down separate punishments on top of the ban.
Long-time Sandbox jungler OnFleek will miss the first half of the LCK 2021 season after he made racist comments towards Chinese players during a game of solo queue.
OnFleek claimed that “the only good Chinese is a dead Chinese” while reporting a team mate, according to a translation from Ashley Kang. The comments were made while he was streaming on November 8.
Riot Korea and Sandbox Gaming swiftly handed down their punishments on November 10.
In addition to the official Riot ruling, announced earlier:@SBGaming_KOR has independently issued out an internal penalty to OnFleek.
— Ashley Kang #Worlds2020 (@AshleyKang) November 10, 2020
> Banned from competitive matches in the first round-robin of 2021 LCK spring split
> 3mil KRW fine (~2690 USD)
> 30 hours of community service https://t.co/UXCGfZuFCS
Riot fined OnFleek 1 million Korean Won ($1,230 AUD), as well as suspending him for the first three games of LCK Spring 2021 for breaking Rule 9.2.4 of the player handbook. OnFleek has 14 days to appeal the Riot Korea decision.
“OnFleek used inappropriate expressions that aren’t befitting of a professional player while reporting a friendly player during a stream,” Riot stated.
Sandbox were harsher in their judgment. Internally, they gave OnFleek a 3 million Korean Won ($3,690 AUD) fine, suspended him for the first round robin of the LCK Spring 2021 season, and will be forcing him to do 30 hours of community service.
“We deeply apologize for causing displeasure and disappointment to many viewers and fans due to the inappropriate remarks by [OnFleek],” Sandbox added in their statement.
OnFleek has played for Sandbox in every split since they entered the LCK back in 2019. He also helped the then Team BattleComics — the predecessor to Sandbox — qualify for the LCK after Summer 2018.
The team reached the finals of the 2019 KeSPA Cup, and has peaked as high as third in LCK Summer 2019. They finished ninth and seventh in the two 2020 LCK seasons.
