The Korean esports scene for League of Legends is renowned for its intense competition and passionate fans, but beneath the glittering victories and thrilling matches lies a dark side of toxic fandom. In the case of the team T1 and their player Lee "Gumayusi" Min-hyeong, this dark side has manifested in an organized harassment campaign that goes far beyond regular criticism to bullying and threats.

What is T1Gall

T1Gall (티응갤) is a Korean online community on the DC Inside platform, created in the summer of 2024 by a small group of people who broke away from the larger T1 fan community. This gallery was named the "T1 minor support gallery," but its actions have little to do with supporting the team in the traditional sense.

Members of T1Gall stand out from typical toxic fans due to their organization and purposefulness. They are not just angry supporters expressing dissatisfaction after unsuccessful matches but a structured group with a specific goal—to ruin Gumayusi's career at T1. The majority of T1Gall participants are so-called "akgae" (solo fans) of Faker, who fanatically wish for the legendary mid-laner to leave the organization and become a free agent.

This group emerged after being expelled from the main fan community for overly harsh criticism of Gumayusi, prompting them to create a separate platform to continue their actions. It is important to understand that T1Gall does not represent the entire T1 fan base—it's a radical minority using the team's name to cover their destructive intentions.

Timeline of Harassment

Gumayusi became a target of hatred even before his official debut in T1's main roster, when he was showing himself as a rather bold rookie. The situation worsened significantly after his debut and the narrative that he would become the next "face" of the team after Faker, sparking outrage among the legendary player's fanatical supporters.

Throughout 2024-2025, T1Gall organized an unprecedented harassment campaign. According to the Vietnamese fanbase of Gumayusi, which meticulously documented all incidents, only in the first eight months of 2025, the following occurred:

March 2025:

• March 24: 2 protest trucks with insults
• March 25: 2 trucks and 1 LED billboard with insults
• March 27: 2 LED billboards criticizing "poor play"

April 2025:

• April 1: 1 offensive LED billboard
• April 10: 9 trucks near LoL Park with insults

June 2025:

• June 9: 2 protest trucks near the SK and T1 headquarters + a public press conference
• June 21: over 50 illegal banners with insults on Gangnam subway lines

August 2025:

• August 8: 50 funeral wreaths at T1's main office
• August 9: over 50 offensive banners + 2 billboards operating from 6 AM to midnight

The overall statistics for the period include: 15 protest trucks, 6 electronic LED boards, 50 funeral wreaths, over 100 offensive banners, 5 YouTube videos and 1 live stream, 1 press conference, and over 6 commissioned articles in online media criticizing the player.

Harassment Methods

T1Gall employs a wide range of methods to harass Gumayusi, far exceeding typical fan criticism.

Public Protests and Symbolic Threats

The most visually shocking are the funeral wreaths and protest trucks. Funeral wreaths in Korean culture symbolize death and curses, and their mass placement near the T1 office is a direct threat. Protest trucks with large screens roam the city, displaying insulting messages about Gumayusi to thousands of passersby.

Complaints and Sabotage

T1Gall members systematically file complaints about Gumayusi's broadcasts to the Korean Broadcasting Association, attempting to limit his interaction opportunities with fans. This is a form of economic pressure aimed at undermining the player's income sources.

Doxxing and Privacy Invasion

One of the most alarming aspects of T1Gall's activities is doxxing—revealing personal information about Gumayusi and his family. They published the address of the church attended by the player and his family, creating a direct threat to their safety. They also investigate the career history of Gumayusi's pastor father and even the church attended by T1's CEO.

Disinformation and Manipulation

T1Gall actively spreads distorted information about Gumayusi, taking statistics and individual episodes out of context. They portray him as one of Korea's worst bot laners, despite his contribution to T1's two championship titles. This disinformation spreads across various forums, shaping a negative perception of the player among a wider audience.

Threats of Physical Harm

The most alarming are direct threats of violence. T1Gall members have discussed the possibility of inflicting serious bodily harm on Gumayusi, including hitting him with a motorcycle or car on his way to work. Such threats go beyond online harassment and pose a real threat to life.

Impact on the Fan Community

T1Gall's actions have created a toxic atmosphere affecting not only Gumayusi but the entire fan community around the player.

Physical Violence

There have been recorded instances of physical violence against Gumayusi fans at workplaces. In one incident, a colleague physically injured a girl, causing head and back injuries, leading her to file a police report. The attacker emphasized his affiliation with the forum and the possible allegiance of the victim to Gumayusi.

Harassment at Public Events

During events dedicated to Gumayusi, T1Gall members photographed fans without their consent and reportedly engaged in sexual harassment. During matches, they also attempted to photograph anyone wearing Gumayusi's jersey without permission, creating an atmosphere of fear and surveillance.

Online Terrorism

T1Gall systematically attacks anyone who supports Gumayusi online. Positive posts about the player are immediately reported and removed, and their authors become targets of harassment. This creates a chilling effect, where fans are afraid to express support for their favorite player.

T1's Response

T1's behavior in this situation raises serious questions about protecting their own players. Despite the scale of the harassment, the organization remained silent for a long time or provided only general statements about "legal action."

Accepting Gifts from Harassers

One of the most controversial moments was T1 accepting a gift for Smash, sponsored by T1Gall. This gesture was perceived by Gumayusi's fans as legitimizing the actions of the harassers and signaling that the organization condones their behavior.

Inaction on Online Communities

T1 took a long time to intervene in the situation on their own membership platform, where T1Gall filled the space with hateful messages against Gumayusi. Positive posts about the player were systematically reported and deleted, forcing Gumayusi's fans to leave the platform due to the impossibility of staying there.

When T1 finally closed the community due to its toxicity, T1Gall filed a complaint with the Korean Consumer Protection Agency, claiming they were deceived since they purchased membership specifically to post in the community.

Insufficient Player Support

Despite public statements of support for Gumayusi, T1's actions often contradicted their words. The organization did not provide enough public protection for the player, allowing T1Gall's narrative to spread and normalize in Korean online communities.

Psychological Profile of Harassers

T1Gall exhibits signs of an organized group motivated not by love for the team but by hatred for a specific individual. Their behavior has several characteristic traits:

Fanatical Devotion to One Person

As Faker's akgae, they cannot accept the idea that someone else might become T1's "face." For them, Gumayusi is a threat to their idol's unique status, causing irrational aggression.

Lack of Joy from Team Victories

T1Gall does not celebrate T1's victories when Gumayusi plays in the main roster. Instead, they wait for his mistakes to use them for further criticism. This shows that their goal is not the team's success but the destruction of a specific player's career.

Seeking New Targets

Notably, when Gumayusi was moved to the substitute roster, T1Gall members began expressing concern:

This demonstrates that their activity is based on the need for a hate target, not constructive criticism.

T1Gall are not true T1 fans—they are an organized group whose main goal is to spread hatred towards one of the team's players. Their actions go far beyond sports criticism, reaching the level of harassment, threats, and terrorizing. They do not rejoice in T1's victories; instead, they are always waiting for just one thing—a small mistake by the ADC, which they can use to further push the narrative of the player's dispensability to the team.

The most troubling aspect of this situation is that even if Gumayusi no longer plays for T1, this community will not disappear. They will always find a new target for their hatred, continuing to poison the atmosphere around one of the world's most successful League of Legends teams. The T1Gall case demonstrates how toxic fan culture can turn into an organized harassment campaign, threatening not only individual players' careers but the health of the entire esports ecosystem.