Lost Ark's Global Director steps down due to health issues

On 13th May, the Lost Ark community was left heartbroken following a shock announcement that Keum Kang Seong Hyung will be leaving his post as the game's Global Director amid an ongoing battle with his health.

While he'll remain in the position for the remainder of the year, Smilegate said they will continue to work under his leadership before his tenure ends. The developer is expected to announce new leadership at a future Lost Ark convention (LOA-con); however, this past week, the director offered his thanks to the community via the Lost Ark forum.

Keum Kang Seong Hyung thanks Lost Ark community in exit thread

Keum Kang Seong Hyung, known to the Lost Ark community as Gold River, announced that he'd be leaving his position as the game's Global Director. The announcement was first revealed in the Lost Ark community forum post, where he thanked the community for their steadfast support.

🥇🌊

— Lost Ark (@playlostark) May 13, 2022

After years in the position, Hyung revealed that he had been suffering from a string of health-related issues, which, coupled with the mounting workload, has "put quite a lot of strain on him." As a result, there'll be a leadership change soon; however, he fully supports his team and promises players that "there will be many more years ahead to enjoy Lost Ark."

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Hyung also offered his thanks to the growing Lost Ark community for their love and support for the game over the last few years. He thanked the community for making the game what it is and proudly supported it through difficult times.

"Even when he was depressed and crying, all the players were a light and saved him; it's how he stood up and kept going. Thank you again for lots of love for him. He said he prays for all our lives and that we go on and on," the announcement read.

The responses from the community have been overwhelmingly positive, with many praising and thanking him for his amazing work on Lost Ark. Players have stated that he's one of the best game directors in the industry they've called for Smilegate to memorialize him in-game.

One idea that sprung within the community was for a pet to be added to the game, named in honor of the director, which didn't go well with players. Another idea was for a statue or an NPC to appear in the Stronghold.

"A Stronghold statue of the Director, please? May he live on forever in our hearts and houses!! I want an island where you can visit the director, and his NPC will give you an inspiring happy note and a little item like a potion or something. It would seriously be a great thing to implement for his legacy," a community member posted to the Lost Ark forum.

How Smilegate will choose to memorialize him in-game will be interesting to see in the coming months, especially with the May content update launching on 19th May 2022.

We want to thank Keum Kang Seong Hyung for his dedication, and we wish him a speedy recovery. 

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Featured image courtesy of Smilegate / Amazon Games.