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Kim Moon-soo appears to imitate Faker pose on poster, T1 claims 'not affiliated'

Published: 07 May. 2025, 14:03

A poster of Kim Moon-soo shushing himself on a campaign poster uploaded to social media on May 6 [SCREEN CAPTURE]

T1, the esports team of professional gamer Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok, issued a statement distancing the player from politics after People Power Party (PPP) presidential candidate Kim Moon-soo mimicked the player’s signature pose in a campaign poster.

T1 said Tuesday on its official social media channels that “images of Faker and phrases associated with him have recently been used in political content.” The organization emphasized that “Faker is not affiliated with any political stance, party, or campaign.”

“We hope that the use of Faker’s image or gestures will not be misinterpreted as carrying any political implications,” the team added.

T1 also stated that it is “working to have such posts removed” and will “do everything possible to ensure that the player suffers no harm.”

The controversy arose after Kim’s campaign released a photo on Monday showing the candidate mimicking Faker’s well-known “shush” gesture — placing an index finger to his lips — during an official profile shoot for campaign use.

A social media post uploaded on May 6 shows a campaign poster of People Power Party candidate Kim Moon-soo shushing himself. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Kim’s campaign team described the gesture as part of a meme trend popular among younger voters, characterizing it as an expression of the candidate’s “firm resolve and confidence.”

A promotional post featuring Kim in the pose was uploaded to his social media account, along with the phrase “I’ll take responsibility. It’s over! It’s over!” — a line previously used by Faker.

The post also included hashtags referencing Faker directly and even featured an image of the esports player performing the original pose.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY JANG GU-SEUL [[email protected]]