- Dopa will be temporarily stepping back from the scene on August 21
- He is doing so to complete his mandatory military service
- Dopa has often topped the charts on the South Korean and Chinese servers
Popular (and somewhat notorious) South Korean solo queue player Dopa will be taking a break from playing and streaming in order to complete his mandatory military service.
Dopa Temporarily Withdraws from LoL
Over the past decade and a half, the expansive League of Legends community has seen many stars rise, but few have reached the popularity, or even notoriety, of Jeong “Apdo” Sang-gil, also known as Dopa. The Korean solo queue player is regarded as the best LoL player to have never competed in the professional scene. Over the years, he has come to dominate the South Korean server, most often playing in the mid position, although being proficient in all five roles.
However, these impressive skills cannot spare the 30-year-old player from his duties to his country. In a recent statement on his YouTube community page, Dopa announced that he will be taking a break from the game, as he will be on his way to completing his mandatory military service.
“Enlisted in active duty on August 21st,” the statement says (translated by Google). “It’s not an eternal farewell. I don’t think I will see you for quite some time,” the LoL star wrote, saying that he plans to return to streaming when he is done with his service.
Over the past years, Dopa has risen in popularity thanks to his great knowledge of the game’s mechanics and has constantly topped the South Korean and even the Chinese servers. His streams often show masterful performances where the player’s skill and mechanical prowess shine. That being said, Dopa also has a somewhat notorious element to his reputation, as he has been a known booster and has been banned several times for the practice.
Regardless of that, his fans will now not be able to watch him for quite some time. Considering the mandatory military service in South Korea, which all fit young men must attend, last between 18 and 21 months, Dopa will likely not be around until sometime in 2025.
Nevertheless, the popular LoL player signed off, thanking his viewers for the time spent together. “It seems that I was born with the talent to roll well and received undeserved attention and love. Thank you very much, everyone.”
Dopa will not be around for a non-trivial length of time, but by his words, this is just a temporary pause in his gaming career, and his fans are already awaiting his return.