Intro

Respected baduk players from all over the world!
I would like to extend my sincere congratulations on the opening of the 10th Korea Prime Minister Cup International Amateur Baduk Championship in Seoul, 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 10th anniversary, and 54 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 stay in safe and healthy during whole tournament period and play their best games in the spirit of fair play at the same time as making a number of good friends and memories. Especially I hope players who came from overseas can get experience about Korean traditional cultures as much as they can. 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 10th 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.

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 10th 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 countries and territories. The AGF organized and supervised The 4th Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games held in the Korean city of Incheon, in 2013. 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.

The 10th 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. Thank you.