Go player Cho joins Saenuri Party
By Kim Hyo-jin
Cho Hoon-hyun
Amid the media circus surrounding the current man-versus-computer go matches, legendary go player Cho Hoon-hyun joined the ruling Saenuri Party in hope of becoming a lawmaker,Thursday.
Cho is seeking a proportional representation seat.
“I decided to join the party, hoping to work for the go community,” said Cho, while attending a party meeting. “It was shocking to see Lee Se-dol loose (to AlphaGo) in the first match Wednesday. It made me think even more of my role for the go community.”
The 63-year-old Cho is a legendary player with 160 wins in international go matches.
The party is expanding its personnel pool in preparation for the upcoming election, by recruiting renowned experts in various fields.
Rep. Won Yoo-chul, the party’s floor leader, has actively worked on recruiting Cho since early this year. The personal relationship between Won, the head of the lawmakers’ go club, and Cho traces back 20 years, according to a party official.
“There are some 10 million go players in Korea. The game is loved by the public and attention is further growing because some recent TV series like ‘Misaeng’ became popular with characters that play go,” Won said. “The party aims to devise more policies for the cultural and sports sectors, and we need Cho’s contribution.”
Cho, who became a professional go player at the age of 9, won his first World Go Championship in 1989.
The Saenuri Party will receive applications for non-electoral seats through Sunday.