Nongshim RedForce Sign UdoTan for the 2027 VCT Pacific Season

Nongshim RedForce have signed Go "UdoTan" Kyung-won, the VCT Pacific Stage 2 MVP, ahead of the 2027 VALORANT season, giving esports betting fans a new lead duelist to track in VCT Pacific. 

The Korean organisation confirmed the move in an official announcement on X on November 4, 2026, ending speculation that began with trade reports on October 23.

What the Team Announced

The club's VALORANT account welcomed UdoTan with a bilingual post in English and Korean. It said he would lead the team with relentless pushes and explosive firepower. The post did not give a contract length or a fee.

UdoTan's arrival fills the duelist spot left by Lee "Dambi" Hyuk-kyu, who had announced that he was looking for a new team for next season. 

Nongshim have also parted ways with coaches yoman and Sungmin since the end of the 2026 season. With UdoTan in, the roster now reads WoohyuN, Xross, UdoTan, Rb, Francis and Ivy, with SilKanoN as head coach.

A Stage 2 Champion Changes Teams

UdoTan joins from Global Esports, where he spent two seasons in VCT Pacific. He played the Duelist role through 2026, helped the team reach Masters London, and won Pacific Stage 2 with the side. In the grand final of that event he was named MVP, with 77 kills, a 220 average combat score and a 148 average damage per round.

The grand final was a reverse sweep against Nongshim themselves, which makes the signing a notable one. Global Esports have since left esports and released all five of their VALORANT players, so UdoTan is the first member of that Stage 2 winning roster to find a new home.

Nongshim's Position for 2027

Nongshim had a strong 2026. They won Pacific Kickoff and then Masters Santiago, making them the first team from the second tier to win a Masters event. They were not given one of the partnership slots in Riot's revamped 2027 programme, which went to Korean teams T1 and Gen.G Esports.

The move also follows the departure of Dambi, who was named Masters Santiago MVP earlier this year and had played alongside Francis and Ivy since 2023. Losing one of the region's best-known duelists and replacing him with the reigning Stage 2 MVP is the kind of swap that changes how a roster is rated going into a new season.

That means the team must qualify for the 2027 season on merit. Their route starts in the Korean qualifiers for Pacific Kickoff, the first VCT tournament of the year and a qualifying event for Masters Seoul.

What to Watch

The key question is how quickly the new-look lineup gels. Nongshim's play has been built around Dambi in the past, and UdoTan has played both Sentinel and Duelist roles in his career, so coaches may have more tactical options in the qualifiers. 

No other roster changes have been announced, and the remaining spots will matter as the Kickoff qualifiers approach.