original title：趙治勲 私の履歴書（28）韓國シニアリーグ
Original article: The Nikkei
Author: Cho Chikun, Honorary Meijin
First of all, this is a confession. In truth, only six months after my wife passed away, I began a relationship with a Korean woman. Since she had a particularly close relationship with my daughter, I was worried that my daughter would see right through it, and I also felt that the mourning period was too short. So, even after the relationship became public, I lied and claimed that we had only started dating “a year later.” For this, I feel deeply sorry.
To see her, I would occasionally come up with excuses to visit Korea. During this time, I received an invitation from the Korean Go Association to participate in the Senior League. A former classmate from the Korean School in Tokyo mentioned that if I joined, he would form a team. At the time, I thought, “Who is he?” but I immediately agreed, thinking, “This way, I can visit Korea legitimately.”
That classmate was Song Jin-su, the president of KH Energy. I hadn’t attended school much, so I had forgotten both his face and his name, but he clearly remembered me.
Song Jin-su was the son of the principal with whom I occasionally played Go at school. His father’s love for Go was so deep that when asked what he wanted to do in his final moments, he replied, “I want to play Go.” Mr. Song inherited his father’s passion for the game. Although his father prohibited him from playing Go until he became successful in business, Song is now such a Go enthusiast that even his wife feels exasperated.
The Senior League is a team competition for players over the age of 50, with teams consisting of three members. There are 7 or 8 teams that compete in a double round-robin league, followed by playoffs among the top four teams to determine the final standings.
In the end, our team won the championship for three consecutive years, starting from the second tournament in 2017. We topped both the league and the playoffs, achieving a flawless victory. I was named MVP for three consecutive years.
However, we weren’t a team that dominated the others; most of our wins were by a 2-1 margin. It was truly a victory of teamwork. My girlfriend played a significant role in boosting team morale. She is a piano teacher, and since her father is a Go fan, she had some understanding of the game.
The matches were held in a studio within the Korean Go Association, and since they were broadcast on TV, she would always sit in the front row to cheer me on, even acting as the team’s “cheer captain.” She also attended the post-match gatherings, contributing to the lively atmosphere.
I owe her a lot for encouraging me to do interviews. To be honest, the fast pace of Korean reporters' speech made it difficult for me to understand them, and I often avoided interviews. But when she would repeat the questions in slower Korean, I could grasp them. Having a native Korean help translate in real-time, rather than relying on a Japanese interpreter, certainly won over the reporters.
In the past, I had been criticized for not speaking Korean, which hurt me and created mixed feelings about my homeland. However, by participating in the Senior League, interacting with many peers, and engaging positively with the media, this confusion gradually faded. I finally fell 100% in love with Korea. For me, it was an irreplaceable experience.
After three years, I temporarily stopped participating in the Senior League. The direct reason was the COVID-19 pandemic, but it was also because my relationship with her started to falter. To put it simply, I got dumped.
During those three years, I visited Korea around 50 times, more than I had ever visited before. Through my interactions with many people, I confirmed one thing: Koreans like Japan. I believe that Koreans have a greater fondness for Japan than Japanese people have for Korea. I understand there are various issues between the two countries, but I just hope they can coexist peacefully. I would never want to see my birthplace and the country that raised me in conflict with one another.
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