Busan has finally climbed the summit at the 18th Presidential Cup National Amateur e-Sports Championship (KeG), held on August 16 at the Gyeongju Indoor Gymnasium. It is their first overall victory in 15 years, dating back to 2011.

Busan dominated the League of Legends finals with a 2-0 victory against the representatives from Jeonnam and Gwangju. Combined with their runner-up finish in Eternal Return, Busan secured the top spot, outpacing Daejeon Metropolitan City (130 points) and Jeju Special Self-Governing Province (108 points).

The Busan IT Industry Promotion Agency kicked off the selection process with qualifiers on July 18, followed by the main regional rounds at the Busan e-Sports Arena (BRENA) on July 25. This process narrowed the field down to 14 athletes who would represent Busan across four titles: League of Legends, Eternal Return, FC Online, and Brawl Stars.

Ahead of the national finals, the agency provided both online and offline training, including replay analysis, scouting of rival regional teams, and position-specific coaching. On the day of the finals, coaching staff remained on-site to provide real-time tactical support.

Since 2016, Busan has been running 'GC Busan,' a regional amateur e-sports team that has supported 126 players. After resuming operations last year, the team saw 'GC Busan Stella' compete in the Korea e-sports League (KEL), where the team secured a runner-up finish at the Mid-Season Cup on August 2.

Since launching professional gamer training in 2019, the agency has expanded its curriculum to include data analysis, broadcast production, and tournament operations, graduating over 400 individuals. For four consecutive years since 2023, the agency has been selected for the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Creative Content Agency's 'e-sports Specialist Training' project, currently offering six specialized programs.

BRENA continues to host the 'BRENA Best Player Tournament' for the third year running, with this year's event scheduled for October. The agency also supports 14 local e-sports communities with 1,134 active members and runs year-round training programs tailored to various skill levels and game titles.

BRENA has been a busy hub this year, hosting the National Youth Sports Festival, national middle and high school championships, and collegiate league finals. The momentum continues: this week, the 2026 Overwatch World Cup Group Stage and the Overwatch Fan Festival take place at BRENA and BEXCO. September will see Busan hosting the 2026 VALORANT Champions Tour (VCT) Pacific Stage 2 Finals and the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games e-sports national team evaluation matches.

Lee Jae-duk, acting president of the Busan IT Industry Promotion Agency, remarked, "This victory after 15 years is the valuable result of the deep e-sports foundation and talent development system we have built in Busan." Lee added, "The credit belongs to the players who fought from the qualifiers to the finals, and the local communities and coaches who stood by them. Together with the city, we will continue to build 'Busan, the e-sports mecca,' where arenas, talent, and businesses thrive in a virtuous cycle."