KBS News (Video at link)
16.03.2016
There are still traces of the young boy in the young man who has noted down a winning streak of 18 victories in a row and has 7 championship titles. It’s already been 10 years since he was posted to Seoul. His grandfather provides a testament as to his great skill at Baduk, recounting tales of Ee’s virtuoso play as a youth. As a 17-year-old 3rd-level player he recorded a victory over Yu Chang-hyeok, a 9th level pro. In 2000 he won 2 gold medals just 5 years after becoming eligible for grand tournament selection. He was pictured as a strong candidate for Most Valuable Player at that time.
Ee: I will try my best until I can do no more, so I won’t be regretful later. I think if one thinks like this, one cannot fail to obtain a good result.
Later he made an appearance on a programme about one-off talents where he was able to showcase his off-the-wall appeal. “Since I was a baby,” he said “my hair was always shorter… [now it’s longer].” Ee Se-dol, always a top-level adventurer – great effort!
Analysis: Baduk – more widely known as “Go” – is a strategic game with a very long history in Asia. Baduk originated in China but the Japanese version of the game has garnered the most attention internationally. Played with black and white stones on a grid board, the aim is to encircle an opponent’s pieces. Baduk is said to have more possible move combinations than there are atoms in the universe, and accordingly it’s a great test of skill and memory for players. The very finest Baduk players rely on intuition and experience to win. The tone of this video is illustrative; many viewers in the west may find it strange that a twelve-year-old boy was packed off to Seoul to further a career. However, pressure and expectation are a fact of life for many Korean from an extremely young age.