On June 1, Lee “Yaharong” Chan-ju, a former professional League of Legends player who played in the LCK and LJL leagues, was arrested by police in Hanoi, Vietnam. He is accused of strangling a woman to death before attempting to flee the crime scene.
Lee “Yaharong” Chan-ju Arrested for Murder in Hanoi
Lee Chan-ju, better known by his pseudonym “Yaharong”, is a former professional player, having played for renowned teams such as Jin Air Green Wings (a team with which he suffered one of the biggest losing streaks in competitive history of the LCK with a record of 0-18), Fredit BRION and DetonatioN FM. During his career, Yaharong participated in six LCK splits before moving to Japan, where he won the 2022 LJL Spring and Summer Split with DFM. He also took part in two major international competitions, the Mid-Season Invitational (MSI) and the 2022 League of Legends Worlds. In November 2022, Yaharong left DFM and since then, he had remained inactive and low profile until this recent tragic event.
According to a report published by the Vietnamese website iThethao.vn, on May 30 at around 1 p.m., Lee Chan-ju and Ms. Park H., 33, rented room 6012 of the Lotte Hotel, located in Ba Dinh district. , in Hanoi, Vietnam. An argument broke out when Lee demanded sex and Ms Park refused his advances. After a discussion of about ten minutes, the situation escalated tragically: Lee strangled Ms. Park and placed a pillow over her face, until she suffocated to death.
Lee “Yaharong” Chan-ju, DetonatioN FocusMe, Worlds 2022 @RiotGames
After committing the crime, Lee attempted to flee. He took the elevator to the 65th floor of the hotel, apparently intending to commit suicide, but was intercepted by hotel security forces. Local authorities in Hanoi and Ba Dinh district then intervened to arrest Lee and launch an investigation into the murder. iThethao’s sources indicate that Lee Chan-ju will normally be extradited to South Korea for trial. Additional information suggests Lee may be suffering from mental health or other mental health issues.
