The International Esports Federation (IESF) Board had voted to approve Mr. Youngman Kim as the official Vice President of IESF.
Mr. Youngman Kim, also serves as president of the Korea e-Sports Association (KeSPA) and is one of its founders, will serve this role for a two-year term, succeeding the outgoing Acting Vice President HH Sheikh Sultan Bin Khalifa Bin Sultan Al-Nahayan of the UAE.
Mr. Kim was elected by IESF members during its 2019 General Assembly as a Board Member. He has been working closely with the Korean Government for the benefit of IESF members and multiple global Esports Programs.
Before joining IESF, Youngman contributed decisively in establishing Esports as a new cultural content having StarCraft in Korea and led the explosive growth of Esports. While Korea was going through the IMF (International Monetary Fund) crisis, he left the company he worked at and established a game company, and went to great lengths to vitalize ‘StarCraft’ in Korea. With his tremendous effort, three (3) million copies of StarCraft were sold in Korea and industrial expansion worth 1.14 trillion KRW and job creation effects for more than 150,000 people were accomplished. Mr. Kim is still being introduced as the “Father of modern Esports” and “Esports Legend” on the international stage.
Mr. Kim has actively participated in the development of the Esports industry by serving as President of Korea Software Property Right Council and Korea Association of Game Industry. He has been back leading KeSPA in 2018 to reconstruct the Association and to promote Esports in Korea. KeSPA is one of the leading Esports Association on the international stage, and a member of IESF and IOC ELG Group, and a partner of Asian Electronic Sports Federation (AESF).
“This is an exceptional opportunity and I’m honored.” adds Mr. Youngman Kim. “I’m truly excited to continue to interact with our members and partners all over the world as well as Esports stakeholders, many of whom I have worked closely with on Esports over the past decade. I am looking forward to continuing these efforts as IESF Vice President.”
IESF President, Vlad Marinescu, stated: “Youngman Kim did a wonderful job as Board Member of IESF and I am very happy to welcome him as our new Vice President with full consensus from IESF leadership. Together, we will continue to lead and promote Esports through our global programs, competitions and tournaments.”
