Former Overwatch League flex support Ryu “Ryujehong” Jehong is under fire after making a series of sexist and offensive comments during a weekend stream.
Considered a veteran of the competitive Overwatch scene, Ryujehong played in the Overwatch League for three years, spending two years as flex support for the Seoul Dynasty and half a season with the Vancouver Titans. He was recently signed as a content creator for Gen. G Esports, which owns the Seoul Dynasty.
On Jan. 16, Ryujehong streamed alongside a female streamer known mostly for League of Legends and casual Just Chatting content on Twitch. During the stream, in which he appeared drunk, Ryujehong made numerous sexist, degrading, and offensive comments towards his fellow streamer.
According to community translators, Ryujehong repeatedly referred to his co-streamer as a “bitch” and berated her for interrupting him, saying women shouldn’t speak when men are talking. He referred to women with the Korean derogatory term for “gold digger” and said that women shouldn’t be trusted.
At one point, Ryujehong apparently said if he had a younger sister, he would “harass her more than this” and then demanded the streamer bring him a drink using derogatory language. He also discussed how much he dislikes gaining fans even though he enjoys the gifts they give him.
Ryujehong has deleted the video record of the stream, but his co-streamer still has the video archived to her channel.
Later, in his stream Discord, Ryujehong addressed some of his comments. According to another community translator, Ryujehong said he didn’t hate his fans but also admits to drinking during the stream.
On Jan. 17, Ryujehong released a statement about his actions on stream.
While he apologized for any discomfort that viewers felt while watching the stream, he doubled down on his use of “streamer memes” and building a new atmosphere. He said his stream will remain a “free area” in which members can speak their minds, meaning comments like those in the original stream are not likely to be censored or reprimanded.
For the past few months, Ryujehong has been interviewing top players and friends for the “Nano” series on the Overwatch League’s Korean YouTube channel. He had also been creating content related to Gen. G, but only formally signed with the company on Jan. 11.
Gen.G, which is observing Martin Luther King Jr. Day in the United States, has not yet responded for comment.
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