China News Service, Beijing, January 29 (Reporter Xing Rui) The Lee Sedol Go Academy issued an obituary on the 28th, stating that Lee Young-ho, chairman of the Lee Sedol Go Academy, died of a sudden myocardial infarction on January 28, 2024, after treatment failed in Beijing.

　　Lee Young-ho also has another identity. He is the younger brother of South Korean Go player Lee Chang-ho.

　　Speaking of Lee Chang-ho, people who are not familiar with Go may be unfamiliar with this name. But in South Korea, Lee Chang-ho is undoubtedly a national treasure. He won his first world championship at the age of 16 and dominated the world chess world for more than ten years. From 1992 to 2005, Lee Chang-ho won a total of 17 world championships and is still the super chess player with the most world championships to this day.

　　Lee Chang-ho is also known as the "Stone Buddha" because of his concentration when playing chess. In the previously popular Korean drama "Reply 1988", the prototype of the genius chess player "Choi Taek" is Lee Chang Ho. Different from the drama, in real life Lee Chang Ho has three brothers, he is the second eldest and Lee Young Ho is the third.

  Korean Go world champion Lee Chang-ho (first from left) during the game. (File photo taken by China News Service reporter Liu Kegeng)

　　Lee Young-ho was born in 1976. Although his chess skills are not as good as those of Lee Chang-ho, he still loves Go and has a deep connection with China.

　　Public information shows that in the 1990s, Li Yinghao, who was a sophomore, came to Beijing for the first time. The city's long history and long culture left a deep impression on him. After that, he would come to Beijing to study Chinese every winter and summer vacation. After graduating from university, Li Yinghao found a job in an Internet company in Beijing and started his "Beijing drift" career.

　　In more than 20 years in Beijing, Lee Young-ho has opened Korean restaurants, trading companies, and study abroad institutions... While running his own business, he has not forgotten his beloved Go. When his brother Lee Chang-ho goes to Beijing to compete, Lee Young-ho will play a role similar to an agent, helping Lee Chang-ho take care of related matters.

　　It is precisely because of Lee Chang-ho that the kind-hearted Lee Young-ho has made friends with many celebrities in the Go circle, including the famous Korean player Lee Sedol and the famous Chinese player Chang Hao. In 2013, Lee Young-ho opened the "Lee Sedol Go School" for children in Beijing.

  Screenshots from foreign media reports

　　For Lee Young-ho, China is his second hometown. Here he is engaged in a career he loves, and at the same time he has established a happy family with a Chinese girl.

　　In a previous interview with the media, Lee Young-ho said that he hopes to run a better Go school, make more Chinese friends, and visit more beautiful scenery in China.

　　Unfortunately, Lee Young-ho's young life has now come to an abrupt end, which is regrettable. (over)