President Lee Presents Premium Bonbija Go Board to Go Enthusiast Xi Jinping [Gyeongju APEC]

President Lee Jae-myung gifted Chinese President Xi Jinping a premium Bonbija Go board and carved stand set on the 1st. Photo by the Presidential Office

President Lee Jaemyung will present Chinese President Xi Jinping, who is on a state visit to Korea on November 1, with a premium Go board and a mother-of-pearl lacquerware round tray.

After concluding the summit at the Gyeongju National Museum on the same day, President Lee is scheduled to give President Xi a "Bonbija Go board" and a "mother-of-pearl lacquerware round tray" as gifts during a separate friendship event.

The Go board is made from Bonbija wood, which is recognized as the highest quality material for Go boards in both Korea and China. The carved stand for the Go board features traditional Korean patterns. The Presidential Office explained, "Just as Korea and China lead the global Go community, the gift symbolizes the hope for continued strong relations between the two countries."

The Go board is a gift that reflects President Xi's known interest in the game. Eleven years ago, during his previous state visit to Korea, President Xi also received Go stones from the Korean government. In December 2017, then-President Moon Jaein was presented with a jade Go set and Go stones during his visit to China.

The mother-of-pearl lacquerware round tray, which will be gifted along with the Go board, was crafted using traditional Korean lacquer techniques. The Presidential Office stated, "The gift embodies the hope to continue and further develop the long-standing friendship between Korea and China."