Formation | 2000 |
---|---|
Type | NGO |
Purpose | Manage eSports in South Korea |
Location | |
Region served
|
South Korea |
Membership
|
11 member corporations |
Official language
|
Korean, English |
Chief Executive
|
Jeon Byeong-heon |
Main organ
|
General Committee |
Parent organization
|
Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism |
Affiliations | Korean Olympic Committee |
Website | e-sports |
The Korea e-Sports Association (KeSPA) is a South Korean body established to manage e-sports in South Korea. As of June 2012[update], it was the managing body for 25 e-sports in the country, including Starcraft II: Legacy of the Void, League of Legends, Dota 2, and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. KeSPA also hosts the KeSPA Cup, a yearly tournament event for some of their games.
KeSPA was founded in 2000 after the approval of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. Its official goal is to make eSports an official sporting event, and to solidify the commercial position of eSports in all sectors. The organization manages the broadcasting of e-Sports, the formation of new events, and the conditions in which progamers work, as well as encourage the playing of video games by the general population. In 2008 SK Telecom was given the leading position on its board, effectively making Seo Jin-woo the organization's president. KeSPA regulates broadcasting by e-sports television channels such as Ongamenet, MBC Game, GOMtv, and Pandora TV, as well as 23 e-sports journalists and over twelve e-sports teams. Additionally, they have created a rankings system.
On May 11, 2012 after a slew of announcements from KeSPA regarding the transition between StarCraft: Brood War and StarCraft II, it was announced that they would be partnering with Major League Gaming, a US-based eSports organization to send KeSPA players to MLG events.