[Report] "Song Hye-kyo Interested After Watching Big Go Game" How Much Do You Know About Baduk?

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"Honestly, I became interested in Baduk because Song Hye-kyo plays it." (laughs)

On the 30th, we met 27-year-old university student Choi Young-min near Tapgol Park in Jongno-gu, Seoul. He said he recently developed an interest in Baduk. However, he expressed some regret, saying, "If I had known Baduk earlier, I would have enjoyed watching The Glory more."

In the Netflix drama The Glory, school violence victim Moon Dong-eun (played by Song Hye-kyo) uses Baduk as a medium to approach the perpetrator Park Yeon-jin (played by Lim Ji-yeon) and her husband Ha Do-young (played by Jung Sung-young). In the process, when Ha Do-young asks, "Why do you like Baduk?" Moon Dong-eun replies, "I like fighting with all my might in silence. I also like that you win only by destroying the house your opponent carefully built..." Therefore, Baduk is an indispensable element in the storyline of The Glory.

However, this scene was difficult for those unfamiliar with Baduk to fully empathize with. Because they did not know Baduk at all, they could not fully understand the nuances or messages in Song Hye-kyo’s words during the match.

As a result, many comments appeared on online communities expressing a desire to learn Baduk after watching The Glory. During the airing period, the number of people searching for Baduk-related products on online malls also increased. Gmarket announced that from December 30, last year, when The Glory began airing, to January 17 this year, sales of Baduk-related products increased by 134% compared to the previous year. During this period, sales of Baduk-related books also rose by 67% compared to the previous year.

Office workers playing Baduk at Asia Media Tower, Euljiro, Jung-gu, Seoul. Photo by Han Seunggon

The reason why young people in their 20s and 30s met near Tapgol Park said that if they had known Baduk and watched The Glory, they would have enjoyed it even more is here.

Many elderly people around this park play Janggi or Baduk, and there are said to be many so-called "hidden Baduk masters." The situation is similar in the printing alley of Euljiro, Jung-gu, Seoul. People find it most attractive that they can spend their free time during printing-related work not idly but by engaging in a kind of competition. A man in his 50s who was watching Baduk near the Asia Media Tower in Euljiro said, "My workplace is nearby, so I sometimes watch Baduk games," adding, "Even watching without playing Baduk myself is fun."

Baduk enthusiasts regard five players, including Cho Hun-hyun 9-dan, Cho Chikun, Lee Chang-ho, Seo Bong-su, and Yoo Chang-hyuk 9-dan, as the leading figures who led the golden age of Korean Baduk. During their active years, Korean Baduk, which was once a peripheral country, proudly became the center of the world. Park, a man in his 40s who said he enjoys playing Baduk regularly, named Lee Chang-ho 9-dan, known as the "Stone Buddha," as his favorite Baduk player.

This 9-dan reportedly started Baduk at the age of six, guided by his grandfather Lee Hwa-chun. Three years later, in 1984, he became the disciple of Cho Hun-hyun 9-dan, showing that his Baduk skills were truly unmatched from a young age. In 1986, at the age of 11, Lee Chang-ho turned professional and eventually surpassed his master to become the top player. At that time, he was highly praised as "a gift from heaven to Korean Baduk."

In 1988, at 13 years old, this 9-dan won the "KBS Baduk King Tournament." Then, in 1992, at only 17 years old, he won the 3rd "Dongyang Securities Cup," becoming the youngest world champion and astonishing the world. It was truly an unstoppable momentum. It was the emergence of a Baduk genius and the birth of a new world champion. Afterward, this 9-dan won the Ing Cup (a major international tournament established in 1988 by Taiwanese tycoon and avid Baduk fan Ing Chang-ki, who offered a large prize money), the LG Cup in 2001, and achieved six domestic titles, accumulating a total of 100 titles. He did not stop there; in 2003, he achieved a grand slam by winning the 1st Toyota Denso Cup and the 4th Chunlan Cup.

'Dolbucheo' Lee Chang-ho 9-dan and 'Ssendo' Lee Sedol 9-dan are competing in the Maxim 18th Coffee Cup Master Longest Game.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

So, how skilled is Moon Dong-eun’s Baduk in the drama? Experts analyze that her Baduk skills are quite advanced. Professional player Cho Yeon-woo 2-dan, who runs the YouTube channel "Pro Yeonwoo," said, "Although there are differences depending on the neighborhood, to beat most amateur masters, you need to be at least around amateur 5-dan level," adding, "From several scenes in The Glory, it can be seen that Moon Dong-eun has about amateur 5-dan level skills." Cho 2-dan also said, "There was a scene where Moon Dong-eun correctly read 'mukjeom' (vital points) and destroyed the opponent’s territory, which only a master can do." He explained, "There is a scene where before the game ends, Moon Dong-eun says, 'Your side is blocked, and at this point, you are losing by 10 points.' To read the situation this well, ordinary skills are not enough."

With the renewed popularity of Baduk due to Song Hye-kyo’s match scenes in The Glory, the Korea Baduk Association announced that it is preparing to nurture Baduk players and promote the game through various methods. Yang Jae-ho, Secretary General of the Korea Baduk Association, said, "The drama’s popularity has increased the number of citizens interested in Baduk," adding, "Universities keep requesting Baduk lectures, so we are dispatching professional players to give lectures." Regarding the advantages of Baduk, he emphasized, "First, it greatly helps improve concentration. When students learn Baduk, it can also help with their studies. Adults can expand their social relationships through Baduk and gain confidence in a kind of 'strategic battle,' which also helps in social life."