Chairman of Korea Amateur Baduk(Go) Assocaition
Hong, Seok-hyun
Good evening, ladies and gentlemen.
I would like to begin by congratulating the opening of the 9th Korea Prime Minister Cup International
Amateur Baduk Championship.
I thank you all, our guests and representatives from around the world, for coming to this great annual event.
Baduk is often said to be a miniature of our lives. As the choices we make with each move of the stone
determines the game, the decisions we make add up to form our lives.
Conversations, conflicts, and compromises arise time and again with the movement of the black and white
stones. This is an intellectual game enjoyed by all regardless of age and gender. A game that transcends
the barriers of nationality, language, and culture, spreading beyond Northeast Asia and winning fans
around the world.
This Championship will be an opportunity to boost the level of the game in Korea while providing a platform
to promote Korean culture in the world. Just as important, I hope it will result in goodwill and friendship
among all of our contestants. I wish you all the best, that you may show off the full caliber of your skills
through this Championship.
I would also like to express my deep appreciation to the organizers and staff members for all their hard
work.
And lastly, I hope each and every one of you will make lasting memories here.
Thank you.
President of
Korean Olympic Committee
Kim, Jeong-haeng
Respected baduk players!
I would like to extend my sincere congratulations on the opening of the 9th Korea Prime Minister Cup
International Amateur Baduk Championship, and I welcome all of you from in and out of Korea.
Baduk is an ancient oriental culture that transformed into a sport enjoyed by the world. Especially in the
last Asian Games in 2010 Guangzhou, baduk was selected as an official discipline and demonstrated the
excellence of a mind sport.
The Korea Prime Minister Cup is the battlefield in which world's top amateur players have been competing
each other, contributing to the improvement of the baduk community in general.
This year, KPMC celebrates the 9th anniversary, and 52 players from different countries and territories have
attended to become the next world champion. I have no doubt that this tournament will provide thrilling
performances for Korean baduk fans as well as promoting the game to the general public.
May all participants play their best games in the spirit of fair play at the same time as making a number of
good friends and memories.
Moreover, I hope you will all have a chance to explore Seoul, the global city with dynamic atmosphere.
Once again, congratulations for the grand opening of KPMC, and I appreciate Mr. Seokhyun Hong the
President of the Korea Amateur Baduk Association and all his team members for their hard work in this
event.
I wish you well-being and happiness.
The Chairman
of Asian Go Federation
Seo, Dae-won
Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, I am honored and pleased to extend my warm greetings and
welcome, on behalf of the Asian Go Federation, to players and representatives from countries and territories
around the world. I would also like to extend my sincere congratulations on the opening of the 9th Korea Prime
Minister Cup International Amateur Baduk Championship.
Over 100 million people from 75 countries enjoy Baduk, While Baduk first emerged in Asia, in terms of the number
of countries, Baduk has been more popular in Europe and in the Americas. The Asian Go Federation of which
I am the President, was founded in 2006. The AGF consists of membership of 14 countires and territories. The
AGF organized and supervised The 4th Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games held in the Korean city of Incheon,
July last year. The AGF's mission is to spread Baduk all over the Asian continent.
Baduk is often compared to War. But on a more fundamental level, Baduk is a game of intellect. Many famous
world figures enjoyed Baduk. Famous mathematician John Nash enjoyed playing Baduk. We saw this in the
movie 'A Beautiful Mind'. Bill Gates also remembers that his childhood dream was to become a professional
Baduk Player. Baduk is fun, profound and beneficial. Baduk is also a sport of the future. Recently, Baduk has
begun to tread a new path, as a sport.
Reflecting these new developments, there have already been many mind sports games held around the world.
The existing sports world also has accepted mind sports into their community. Baduk is also an international
conversation that needs no translation, since it only employs balck and white stones to communicate. Even if we
do not speak the same language, we can communicate through these stones and understand each other better.
The 9th Korea Prime Minister Cup International Amateur Baduk Championship will be an important event
that will foster international goodwill and friendship, and better communication. I sincerely wish the best of luck to
all of the contestants, and I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to all those who made this event happen.
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