5th AESF Executive Board Meeting in Bangkok
01 JUL 25The Asian Electronic Sports Federation (AESF) successfully hosted its 5th Executive Board Meeting on 30 June 2025 in Bangkok, Thailand, chaired by AESF President Mr. Santi Lothong.
This was the first official gathering of the newly elected Executive Board members following their election on 6 April 2025. Mr. Lothong warmly welcomed the members to Bangkok, expressing his deep appreciation for their presence and commitment. The meeting was held with full attendance by the Executive Board members, comprising Mr. Youngman Kim, Mr. Lokesh Suji, Mr. Do Viet Hung, Mr. Saeed Sharaf, Mr. Doniyorkhon Djuraev, Mr. Lau Chiu, Mr. Lim Che Chien, Mr. Joebert Yu, Mr. Turki Al Fawzan, and Mr. Mekan Eyeberdiyev.
In his opening remarks, Mr. Lothong paid tribute to former AESF President Mr. Kenneth Fok, acknowledging his role and contributions in establishing a strong foundation for esports in Asia. Mr. Lothong emphasized his intention to continue Mr. Fok’s legacy while also introducing his own vision and mission for AESF. He noted that the meeting was of strategic importance as the Board began discussions on shaping the AESF Vision, Mission, and Strategic Roadmap for 2025–2029, with the goal of elevating esports in Asia to even greater heights.
Mr. Lothong underscored the need for AESF to strengthen its relationships with key stakeholders, including government agencies, the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), National Olympic Committees (NOCs), National Federations, game publishers, and other partners vital to the regional esports ecosystem.
During the meeting, Mr. Lothong also proposed hosting the 2nd AESF General Assembly later this year, along with the inaugural AESF Asian Esports Forum, aimed at further engaging the broader esports community and institutional partners. Other key agenda items included the presentation of the Activity Report and AESF’s ongoing preparations for its involvement in the upcoming Asian Youth Games 2025 in Bahrain, SEA Games 2025 in Thailand and Asian Games 2026 in Japan.
The Executive Board also approved the appointment of Mr. Fok as AESF Honorary President, in recognition of his outstanding service and leadership over the past eight years.
In addition, Mr. Lothong formally appointed Mr. Steve Tae Hyung Kim as the new AESF Director-General, and the Executive Board members unanimously supported the appointment. Mr. Kim previously served as the AESF Chief Operating Officer and holds a Master’s Degree in Sports Administration from Ohio University, USA. With extensive experience in international sports organisations and business development, Mr. Kim has held key roles at the 2002 FIFA World Cup™, Los Angeles Galaxy, Asian Football Confederation (AFC), Malaysia Football League (MFL), and Football Marketing Asia (formerly DDMC Fortis). He notably led the AFC Champions League revamp along with its professional football project, the AFC blueprint for 2017–2024, and the Malaysia Football League’s Next 50 project.
Mr. Kim has also contributed immensely to advancing the Olympic Movement for Esports, particularly through his leading role in establishing the required systems and executing all relevant projects in line with the inclusion of esports in the Asian Games and other Olympic events, which further strengthened the AESF’s role and position within the broader Olympic Movement and esports. He also served as the Technical Delegate for Esports at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games.