DRX promote Yong from academy
DRX expand to six-man roster with Kim “Yong” Ho-yong promotion ahead of Stage 1.
SOUTH KOREA – DRX have officially promoted Kim “Yong” Ho-yong from their academy squad, expanding the roster to six players ahead of VCT Pacific Stage 1. The move comes a week after the organization confirmed that Yong had to be absent from Challengers Korea Split 1 as he was undergoing a trial period with the main team.
“From DRX Academy to the VCT Pacific Stage. DRX is proud to welcome Yong to the Main Roster. Please join us in supporting Yong as he continues his journey with DRX on the VCT stage,” a DRX statement read.
Yong has been part of DRX Academy since February 2025. Over the course of last season, he showed flexibility across several roles, playing Initiator and Controller during Stages 1 and 2 before shifting to primary duelist in Stage 3. More recently, in Stage 1, where he appeared in only two series, he played Viper, Astra, and Cypher against Dplus KIA and ONSIDE Gaming.
If recent results are any indication, Ahn “Hermes” Byeong-wook may be the player under the most pressure. At Pacific Kickoff, he ended the event as one of the tournament’s lowest-rated players, posting a 0.85 VLR rating across 339 rounds while playing Yoru, Viper, KAY/O, and Cypher. DRX ultimately finished in sixth place. Hermes had joined the lineup as a last-minute replacement following the sudden retirement of Cho “Flashback” Min-hyuk.
Yong may not immediately stand out as the team’s biggest firepower upgrade, but DRX’s decision suggests confidence in what he showed during his trial. Having only turned 18 in February, Yong also represents another potential long-term talent from DRX’s development pipeline. The organization has a strong track record of promoting players from its academy system, while also being willing to move them back if things do not work out as seen with Yoon "Flicker" Tae-hee, Na "Athan" Ha-jun, and even Cho "Flashback" Min-hyuk.
DRX will now be hoping this move helps them regain momentum in the Pacific League. Once the standard-bearer for Korean VALORANT, the team have since watched Gen.G lift Masters Shanghai, T1 win Masters Bangkok, and Nongshim RedForce claim Masters Santiago. Their own results have also dipped since qualifying for VALORANT Champions 2025, and Flashback’s retirement, despite how well he fit DRX’s system, made for a difficult start to 2026 that ended with a sixth-place finish.
DRX now have:
- Kim "MaKo" Myeong-kwan
- No "free1ng" Ha-jun
- Song "HYUNMIN" Hyun-min
- Kang "BeYN" Ha-bin
- Ahn "Hermes" Byeong-wook
- Kim "Yong" Ho-yong
- Seon-ho "termi" Pyeon (Head coach)
- Kwon "Argency" Soon-woo (Coach)
- Kim "glow" Min-soo (Coach)
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