조훈현 曺薰鉉
Professional baduk (go) player (9 dan) and former member of the National Assembly
| Life | 1953 |
| Era | 현대 |
| Clan | 창녕 조씨 |
Life & career
Jo Hun-hyeon (曺薰鉉, born 1953) is a professional baduk (go) player and politician of the Changnyeong Cho clan. Korean Wikipedia says he was born on 23 April 1953 in Mokpo, South Jeolla Province (some sources give 10 March). He turned professional in 1962 at the age of nine, introduced as the youngest professional entrant in the world, and in 1963 went to Japan to train under Segoe Kensaku.
He returned in 1972, won his first title, the Choegoui, in 1973, and in 1982 became Korea's first 9 dan. He won the inaugural Ing Cup in 1989 and the Fujitsu Cup and Tong Yang Securities Cup in 1994. He was elected a proportional-representation member of the National Assembly in the 2016 general election and returned to the baduk world after his term ended in 2022.
Childhood and Turning Professional
He began learning baduk at the age of four after watching his father play. In 1958 he moved to Seoul to train, attending Jo Nam-cheol's baduk club, and entered the Korea Baduk Association at seven. He turned professional in October 1962, aged nine.
Study in Japan and Return
In 1963 he went to Japan, entered the school of Segoe Kensaku and was registered as a trainee at the Nihon Ki-in. He reached first dan in 1966 and fifth dan in 1971, and received the Kido Prize for newcomers in 1970. In Japan he regarded Segoe as his spiritual teacher and Fujisawa Hideyuki as his baduk teacher. He returned in 1972 for military service in the air force and was discharged in 1976.
Domestic Titles and International Events
He took his first title, the Choegoui, in 1973, became the second Korean 8 dan in 1979 and Korea's first 9 dan in 1982. In 1980 he is described as having held all the major domestic titles. He won the first Ing Cup World Professional Go Championship in 1989 and the Fujitsu Cup and Tong Yang Securities Cup in 1994. In 1999 he beat Lee Chang-ho 2-1 in the final of the first Chunlan Cup, and he won the Fujitsu Cup again in 2000. By the Korea Baduk Association's count his career record stood at 1,951 wins, 830 losses and 9 no-results as of December 2020.
Teacher and Pupil: Lee Chang-ho
From 1984 he taught Lee Chang-ho as a live-in pupil. In 1990 he lost a title for the first time to Lee, in the Choegoui, and afterwards the two contested titles in many tournaments.
Political Career
He was elected on the proportional list of the Saenuri Party in the 2016 general election and is described as the first professional baduk player to become a lawmaker. He took part in enacting the Baduk Promotion Act in 2018 and announced in 2019 that he would not run again. He completed his term in 2022 and returned to the baduk world. It is also recorded that there was criticism and controversy over whether a conditional pledge to return part of lawmakers' pay, signed by candidates in 2016, was fulfilled. Another politician of the same clan is Jo Guk.