The US government has now designated their 1st officially recognized Starcraft 2 cyberathlete, Kim “Violet” Dong Hwan from South Korea.
The 23 year old received his P-1A visa at a crucial time in his life. If he was turned down from getting said visa, he would have had to enlist in Sokor’s military. Now, he will be allowed to move to the US, to train, compete, and even make a living there for the next five years.
Kim’s 1st accolade was a silver in the North American Starleague December last year, but his career was sidetracked when his student visa applications to the US were denied thrice this year. These denials forced him to forfeit in the World Championship Series three times as well. Trying to enter the US without a proper visa can have costly consequences for eSports players. If you are found, you will be placed in a no-fly list, and can even be permanently barred from entering the US again.
While many competitive players are able to enter the country and compete, it makes that much of a difference to be able to say you are doing so as a cyberathlete. Riot Games worked with the US government to make this dream a reality for League of Legends players months ago, and now that Starcraft 2 has also received that distinction, it opens the doors for other competitive gaming communities, such as Pokemon, fighting games, and first person shooters, to do the same.
In a message in the Cyber Solutions Agency website, Kim expressed his gratitude after a stressful year, and announced that he was coming to the US as soon as this Monday. Whatever happens in Kim’s Starcraft 2 career moving forward, he has now become a pivotal figure in the community’s history. Congratulations, Kim, and the best of luck to you.