Kanavi Joins Hanwha Life Esports And Makes Historical Return To LCK

The long awaited LCK return of Seo “Kanavi” Jin-hyeok has finally happened. Shortly following the legendary jungler, Han “Peanut” Wang-ho’s retirement from competitive play, Hanwha Life Esports announced the acquisition of Kanavi on November 23.

Kanavi’s return to the LCK after six seasons

This roster move will mark the first time that Kanavi returns to the LCK after six seasons in the LPL. After his debut year with Griffin in 2019, he became a four-time LPL champion, multiple international appearances, and even became an Asian Games gold medalist as part of Team Korea. In his latest Worlds appearance, he and his team Top Esports was knocked out by this year’s World Champions T1 in the semifinals 0-3.

Can HLE rise as the new top dog?

With rumors of his LCK return always surrounding him during LCK’s Stove League each year, fans are already excited for Kanavi’s long awaited return to the LCK. Kanavi joins an elite roster of players, all armed with the knowledge of what it takes to win a championship. With his announcement, HLE’s starting five for 2026 is now locked in as all the other players have officially signed with the team.

𝗪𝗲𝗹𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲, 𝗛𝗟𝗘 𝗞𝗔𝗡𝗔𝗩𝗜
한화생명e스포츠에 정글러 ‘Kanavi’ 서진혁 선수가 합류했습니다. 국제 무대에서 쌓아온 경험과 뛰어난 경기 운영 능력을 갖춘 카나비 선수와 함께할 HLE의 새로운 챕터를 기대해 주세요.

Seo ‘Kanavi’ Jin-hyeok has joined Hanwha Life Esports as our… pic.twitter.com/JsQUYnabbE

— Hanwha Life Esports (@HLEofficial) November 23, 2025

Despite HLE’s successful start to their season in 2025, where they won both the LCK Cup and First Stand, they were ultimately shut down by Gen.G in the later half of the season, during the LCK Season finals and during Worlds quarterfinals. With a revamped roster that now contains three World Champions, HLE looks to topple the dynasties of T1 and Gen.G and prove that they belong at the top.

Follow our LCK Roster tracker for all the latest roster moves.