The youngest pro entry record held by Go legend Cho Hun-hyun 9-dan was broken after 63 years.
The Korea Baduk Association said on the 18th that at the fourth round of the finals of the 3rd under-12 pro entry tournament held at its headquarters in Seongdong-gu, Seoul, Yoo Ha-jun (9) and Pyo Hyun-woo (12) passed the final hurdle to earn professional status.
The tournament ran in a double-elimination format from the 6th to the 18th with 55 trainees age 12 and under born in 2013 or later. Among the four who advanced to the fourth round of the finals, Pyo Hyun-woo defeated Oh Se-hyeon and then Yoo Ha-jun to secure the first pro berth, followed by Yoo Ha-jun, who beat Lee Seo-jun in the final game to take the last remaining spot.
In particular, Yoo Ha-jun, newly minted 1-dan at 9 years, 6 months and 12 days old, became the youngest pro in Korea Baduk Association history, moving up the previous mark set by Cho Hun-hyun 9-dan in 1962 (9 years, 7 months, 5 days) by about 20 days.
Yoo Ha-jun 1-dan said, "After I gained in the capture fight in the middle of the final game, from then on I was sure I would qualify. I'm happy to break the youngest pro entry record, and I will become a pro with strong fighting power like Shin Jin-seo 9-dan."
Pyo Hyun-woo 1-dan, who was first to pass the pro entry threshold, said, "I'm really happy to turn pro, and I want to grow into a pro like Shin Jin-seo and Park Jeong-hwan 9-dan," adding, "My goal is to represent Korea in the Nongshim Shin Ramyun Cup World Baduk Championship and win 10 straight." With the addition of the two new 1-dans, the Korea Baduk Association now has 456 professionals (366 men and 90 women).