[Interview]eSTRO Manager Sung Hwan Kim (Hwanni.)

Foreword:

Since Fomos dropped this off of the front page within less than five hours of it being posted and it contains information about foreign players in Korea and some other cute stuff I decided to repost it here in the hope of people actually seeing it.

Manager Kim will be reading this thread so if you have any questions, suggestions or comments for him then please leave them here!

eSTRO Behind Story and Interview:



Being back stage with eSTRO often reminds me of how pro-gaming teams function in very different ways. Some are seen by the foreign fans as serious, stoic and efficient producers of victories. However, others carry the title of 'family' teams, such as Samsung Khan; a team that rarely loses a team mate to anything other than retirement and whose leader, Coach Kim is viewed in equal amounts as a mother and coach to her players.

If you were to assign a type of atmosphere to the eSTRO team it would have to be one of warmth, friendship and youth. Back stage the players are welcoming and there is a sense that even new-comers (such as former KT Rolster player Haran aka Jeong Myungho.) are accepted into the fold of the team with open arms.

The night Haran transferred teams the entire eSTRO roster gathered in the large lounge of their Yeoksam home. Head coach Kim Hyunjin asked a shy and tentative Haran to sing a song as their newest member and amidst stifled laughter and his own nerves the young player delivered a few mumbled lines. This ice-breaker was followed by an introduction to his new room and then life continued as normal for a team that cannot contain its sense of 'family.'



Recently eSTRO has gained a new manager in the shape of Kim Sung Hwan. As the former manager and coach of eSTRO's highly successful CounterStrike team (who have since moved on to We Made Fox.) Mr. Kim is now responsible for leading both the StarCraft and Special Force elements of the team. Despite his busy schedule Fomos caught up with Manager Kim for a quick interview.



~ Kim Sung Hwan in the center with the former eSTRO CS Team. ~

~ How did it feel to change over from being the eSTRO CounterStrike manager to managing the StarCraft and Special Force teams? Were there any problems or did you find the change easy to cope with?

▲ First I was also managing the StarCraft team when there was a CS team at eSTRO. At first I felt very weird and depressed since CS was my specialist FPS game and also I felt bad about sending my boys to another team (We Made Fox.)

There were many problems in the beginning. The eSTRO SF team wasn't doing very well at the start of the Special Force Proleague. It was hard for me to understand Special Force, as well as the new players. The players themselves seemed a bit intimidated by me and our head coach Kim Hyunjin.

I did exactly the same things to them as I did with my CS team, but these ideas didn't quite work out. So I had to change their schedule and some of their practice methods.



~ What do you feel are eSTRO's best qualities as a team?

▲ Firstly, our players love to socialize together. They like going shopping and eating food in groups. Aside from playing SC they always go to the local marts and come back with big bags full of their favorite foods (usually junk food!) Then they gather together to eat. That's their hobby. It's kind of weird, but if you see their faces you will love the kind of atmosphere this type of event produces. They smile like they've just won the lottery when they have some (junk) food! Our team shares a lot and we also talk a lot between ourselves. We like to hang about together during our relaxation time. Sometimes three players will stay up all night talking and I am the one who has to carry them back to their own beds!

~ Which players should foreign fans watch out for in the next season of Proleague?

▲ Well, it would be best if they could watch all of our players from our perspective. However, if they have to pick one for massive macro battles I would say Seiya (formerly Sea.Really) would be a good choice. If they like watching micro intensive and fun games then they should check out UpMagic's matches. Finally for a young player who has good gaming sense and demonstrates an intelligent style of playing I recommend our Zerg, Hyvaa.



~ What does the future hold for eSTRO and how do you think the arrival of StarCraft 2 will affect Korean eSports?

▲ Our team has been doing better and better every year. Next season I can promise that we will go up into the top 8 teams or even to 6th. SC2 will also be huge in Korea so I am excited to see how it changes the way Koreans (and especially pro-gamers.) approach their matches. Plus I am already looking at other foreign players, so eSTRO will once again have another foreign player just like when we invited Nony and Idra to stay with us. If Nony wants to come back for SC2, our arms are always open wide. My players and coaching staff loved him as did I. We enjoy the company of our foreign gaming companions.

The optimistic sentiments of eSTRO and their loyal fans both at home in Korea and abroad demonstrate their continued determination to do their best at every event. In October when Proleague and the individual tournaments begin we will once again be treated to their own unique brand of easily accessible matches and warm personalities.

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Thank you to Hwanni, the eSTRO coaching staff and all the players for their continued support of myself and other foreign players/commentators working in Korea.