ko yeong-ha

A 16-year-old prodigious Korean Go player, internationally recognized as Korea's finest young professional. Despite his young age, he has already competed in the fifth round of the prestigious Kuksu title (equivalent to the Honinbo title in Korea) and was later chosen as the Korean captain for the Hokuto Cup. He is friends with Hong Suyong, who admires his strength and work ethic, looking up to him like an older brother. However, he is also known for being outspoken, arrogant, and somewhat childish, as described by Suyong's uncle, who sees him as someone who "will react to attitude with attitude." He is often seen reading a notebook filled with game records. Before the Hokuto Cup, Yeong-ha was interviewed by a Japanese journalist. His comments on contemporary Japanese Go, which were not particularly flattering, were mistakenly interpreted as disrespectful towards the legendary Japanese Go player Honinbo Shusaku due to a translation error. Hikaru was outraged upon hearing this and asked Suyong to clarify the misunderstanding. However, Yeong-ha, provoked by Hikaru's hostility, publicly affirmed the misinterpretation, seeking retribution. This led to Shindo challenging Yeong-ha as First Board in the match between the Korean and Japanese teams. Yeong-ha narrowly won by half a moku and privately acknowledged Hikaru's skill, but out of what others considered childish stubbornness, he refused to retract his previous provocations. In the Hokuto Cup, Yeong-ha played as the first board for Korea against Lu Lee of China and Shindo Hikaru of Japan. He secured victories in both matches, ultimately leading Korea to triumph.