South Korea Is Honoring Faker With a Commemorative Postage Stamp in October 2026

Lee "Faker" Sang-hyeok is getting a postage stamp.

South Korea has officially announced that the legendary League of Legends player will be commemorated on a postage stamp set to release in October 2026, making him the first esports athlete in the country's history to receive this honor.

Stamps in South Korea have traditionally been reserved for historical figures, national events, presidents, independence activists like Yu Gwan-sun, Olympic athletes, and even the Pope. Faker now joins that list, which is a remarkable achievement for someone who built his legacy entirely in competitive gaming.

There is a standard 20-day public objection window before a new stamp can be officially issued. However, given that Faker is widely regarded as the greatest League of Legends player of all time and has become a genuine cultural icon in South Korea, it is hard to imagine much opposition coming through.

His career speaks for itself. Faker first stepped onto the competitive scene in 2013. In his very first tournament, he accounted for 36% of SKT's kills on his own, racking up 133 kills across 20 matches. SKT finished third in that event, but Faker had already announced himself. He went on to win Champions 13 Summer shortly after, and then captured the World Championship in October of the same year. From that point on, the "Unkillable Demon King" has never really stopped winning.

Over the course of his 13-year career, Faker has won six World Championships (2013, 2015, 2016, 2023, 2024, and 2025), ten League of Legends Champions Korea titles, and two Mid-Season Invitational victories (2016 and 2017).  He's also earned two Worlds Finals MVP awards in 2016 and 2024.

In 2024, Riot Games formally inducted him as the first-ever member of the League of Legends Esports Hall of Legends, an official hall of fame created to recognize players who have defined the game through mastery, impact, and legacy.

According to the latest 2026 Overseas Hallyu Survey conducted by South Korea's Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism alongside bodies such as KOFICE, the Korean Foundation for International Cultural Exchange, Faker ranked fifth among the most influential Korean personalities globally. He tied with singer IU in that position, sitting just behind BTS, Lee Min-ho, BLACKPINK and Jungkook, and Lisa. The survey measures cultural impact across more than 30 overseas regions, and Faker becoming the first major esports figure to crack the upper tier of that list alongside K-pop and acting icons is a big deal for the industry.

Earlier in January, Faker received the Cheongnyong Medal from the South Korean government, which is the first-grade Order of Sports Merit and the highest sports honor the country can bestow upon an athlete. Historically, this medal has gone to the likes of figure skater Kim Yuna, footballer Son Heung-min, golfer Pak Se-ri, and other legends of conventional sport. President Lee Jae-myung personally presented the award to Faker, who became the first esports player in history to receive it.