Tom will be stepping in as T1's interim head coach during kkOma's break.
Kim “kkOma” Jeong-gyun, the head coach of the most decorated team in League of Legends (LoL) esports in 
T1, is taking a temporary break. This was announced by T1 in their official social media accounts, including X (formerly Twitter) on Monday (23 March):
According to the announcement, kkoma has already expressed his intention to take a temporary break “due to personal reasons” prior to the beginning of Season 2026. “After careful and thorough discussions, T1 has decided to respect his wishes.” This means that kkOma will take a break from the regular season after First Stand.
KkOma was T1’s head coach from 2012 through 2019 and was part of the coaching staff when T1 and Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok have won multiple LCK titles, two mid-season invitational championships, and three World championships.
He then joined 
Vici Gaming from 2019 to September 2020 before moving to DWG KIA (now known as 
Dplus KIA). He returned to T1 in November 2023 as the head coach, where the team, which the team involving the well-known roster, ZOFGK, Choi “Zeus” Woo-je, Moon “Oner” Hyeon-joon, Faker, Lee “Gumayusi” Min-hyeong, and Ryu “Keria” Min-seok won back-to-back World championships until 2024.
The team then had a roster change which then included Hyeon-joon “Doran” Choi, and still won third championship under kkOma’s leadership.
Coach Tom to become T1’s head coach in the interim
T1 have also confirmed who will step in as T1’s head coach in kkOma’s absence. Long-time coach Im “Tom”Jae-hyeon will be stepping in as T1’s interim head coach, which is a requirement for a team to compete according to LCK regulations.
“We kindly ask for your continued support and encouragement for Interim Head Coach “Tom” who has already demonstrated outstanding leadership in the past, as he once again takes on this role,” the statement said.
Tom was T1’s substitute jungler in 2015, but did not play at Worlds at the time. He then moved to different teams as a substitute before become a coach for 
Newbee in 2016, then for 
Gen.G from December 2019 to November 2020. He then moved to the PCS (now LCP) region as assistant coach for 
PSG Talon from 2021 to 2022.
Tom moved back to T1 in November 2022 as coach before becoming T1’s interim head coach in 2023 to replace then head coach Seong-Ung “bengi” Bae. After kkOma rejoined the organisation as the head coach, Tom resumed as one of T1’s coaching staff.
“T1 will also spare no effort in providing full support to ensure that our players maintain peak performance throughout the season,” the statement added, before ending with T1 asking for the “unwavering support” of fans.
