On August 14, in the 2021 LCK Summer Split, DWG KIA swept Liiv SANDBOX and locked in a spot straight to the semifinals and a ticket straight to the 2021 LoL World Championship. After the match, DWG KIA head coach Kim “kkOma” Jeong-gyun and top laner Kim “Khan” Dong-ha joined the press room for an interview.

You’ve locked in a spot to the World Championship with today’s win. How do you feel?

kkOma: I’m really happy that we’ve locked in a spot at Worlds. However, what comes first is the playoffs — I want to win the championship with a good performance.

Khan: One of the toughest tournaments for teams that aim for Worlds is the Regional Qualifiers. I’m very happy that we’re heading straight to Worlds without having to worry about it. As we earned some extra time by locking in a spot early, I hope we use this time well to finish off well.

DWG KIA is the defending champion. You would have been pressured about getting to Worlds no matter what. You got through the summer season well — how was it during the regular season?

kkOma: As soon as I joined DWG KIA, I felt the pressure about the World Championship. But the players and coaches did so well — I’m very relieved that we’re heading straight to Worlds. There was a lot of pressure for me.

Khan: As DWG KIA is the defending champion and when I joined the team, all the members that won the championship were here. I just thought I needed to do well. Rather than feeling pressure, I felt more responsibility. I’d like to keep doing well and show good performance until the end.

Both of you are returning to Worlds in 2 years. Is there a team that you’d like to meet at Worlds? Maybe revenge?

Khan: There isn’t really a team that I want to have revenge against. If it were before, I would have said G2, but as time passed, I don’t feel much about them anymore. The current G2 is kind of like a broken toy. I just hope they show up at Worlds.

kkOma: There is a team that I have in mind, but when I say it publicly, the results weren’t that good. When there’s a jinx like that, I try to avoid it, so I don’t want to say.

Khan’s performance wasn’t as good in international competitions up to now. This could be your last World Championship — don’t you want to change this evaluation?

Khan: Whether it’s international or domestic, all competitions are important. From when I first played on an international stage, I didn’t feel more nervous or anything. Although some say that my international performance isn’t good, there still are games that I’ve played pretty well like the MSI. I just want to finish with a good performance.

(To kkOma) When was the most difficult moment during the season?

kkOma: It was hard whenever we lost. There wasn’t any specific match that felt worse.

It seemed that Khan’s health wasn’t that good during this season, and a lot of fans are worried about it. How are you?

Khan: Over my 8-year pro gaming career, I had a bad routine and posture. If someone’s healthy after all that, that person probably wouldn’t need to worry about their health their whole life. As the end is nearing, I’m just accepting everything.

kkOma: It feels bad seeing him going through all that.

You two are going to Worlds together again. Anything you’d like to say to each other?

kkOma: I always say the same thing — thank you for working hard and doing so well. I’ll thank you in advance for doing so well at Worlds too.

Khan: We often say “working hard” doesn’t mean anything. I want to do well, and I want to finish off smiling after doing well.

Any last comments?

kkOma: I want to thank the players, coaching staff, Daeny, and the staff for working so hard. I’d like to prepare well for the playoffs and win the championship. Thank you to all the fans who cheer for DWG KIA too.

Khan: There are many people who are worried about my health — doing this for a couple more months won’t kill me. I’ll work hard so that I show a performance worth cheering for.