As the LCK second-stage regular season is about to begin in just one day, amidst all teams' preparations, GEN's ADC Ruler was suddenly exposed to a major scandal. A post on Korean forums claims that Ruler has tax evasion issues. Once revealed, this immediately exploded across the esports circle, with Korean audiences wildly discussing it, and even fans from our region swiftly joined in to catch up on the gossip.

According to Korean sources, Ruler's tax evasion activities started as early as 2018 and lasted until 2021. Over these three years, Ruler avoided taxes by paying his father as compensation, listing the money transferred to his father as operational costs, and holding shares under his father's name to evade personal income tax. After being investigated in 2023, Ruler was ordered to pay back taxes but appealed (which was rejected).

The initial爆料帖子 suggested suspected evasion, but soon网友 dug up the rejected court ruling. The document mentioned that in 2017, the applicant first participated in an overseas esports tournament held in China and won the championship—clearly referring to Ruler's 2017 victory at the Bird's Nest. Thus, the tax evasion is confirmed. Ruler's agency's response also indirectly corroborates it.

Ruler's agency recently responded: Ruler's father quit his original job to let his son fully focus on competitions, taking full responsibility for Ruler's daily life and financial management. Before the经纪人制度 was introduced, Ruler's father acted as his agent. Considering that the player often needed to handle bank transactions, Ruler's father managed Ruler's assets under his own name through委托管理.

During the father's management, due to the use of a名义信托 method, gift taxes with滞纳金性质 were incurred. These taxes have now been paid, and Ruler's assets have been transferred back to his personal name. The agency's lengthy statement avoided the key points: mentioning back payments confirms that tax evasion indeed occurred, though the agency phrased it委婉.

Tax evasion by a top-earning player is no minor matter. If LCK authorities investigate thoroughly, Ruler could face fines and possibly suspension. It depends on whether officials intend to downplay or severely punish. The issue is now big in LCK; even if they want to protect the player,舆论压力 might be too strong. A related penalty announcement is likely to follow.

With this scandal exposed,老公和大鸡蛋 must be laughing hard. For the September Asian Games, Ruler was originally a strong contender for the ADC position, but his tax evasion has damaged his personal and regional reputation. Under正规选拔标准, Ruler will likely be removed. Recall that previously, 369 and哥哥 had to voluntarily withdraw from Asian Games资格 due to mere rumors.

Viper and Gumayusi probably didn't expect their competitor to eliminate himself without them doing anything. It echoes Lei Jun's famous quote: "Competitors are XX." If舆论压力 isn't extreme, Ruler might avoid suspension, but it's uncertain. LCK's player management is stricter than our region's; as the first tax evader, Ruler could be made a典型 to warn others.

Conclusion:

Before GEN's reported match-fixing investigation results are released, Ruler's scandal emerged first. Honestly, a player at his level shouldn't need such schemes. With annual earnings over tens of millions, refusing to pay taxes seems抽象. Though taxes are substantial, compared to salary, they're relatively minor.

So, do you think Ruler will be penalized?

Feel free to leave comments and discuss!