Lee Sedol earned 10 billion won in prize money, yet says, "I've been unemployed for seven years; it's really tough" [Okmun-a][★Night TView]

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Former professional Go player Lee Sedol shared his struggles with life after retirement.

On the episode aired on the 20th, Lee Sedol and actor Heo Sung-tae appeared as guests on the KBS 2TV variety show 'The Problem Kids of the Attic Room'.

On that day, Song Eun-ee introduced Lee Sedol's achievement of winning a total of 14 major world tournaments, placing him second in all-time number of victories. When asked whether his cumulative prize money reached approximately 10 billion won, Lee responded that he did not know the exact amount.

Lee Sedol's exceptional competitive drive was also revealed. Kim Jong-kook noted that Lee was the first Go player to sign a contract as a foreign hire in a Go league under the condition of being paid only for wins. In response, Lee explained that he felt it was inappropriate to receive compensation for losses and therefore requested only a win bonus.

Lee also revealed that he had become so absorbed in Go that he did not even know his own blood type. He stated that he still does not know his blood type and shared his view that health check-ups are actually the beginning of worry and concern.

Lee Sedol, who retired at the end of 2019, confessed, "I have essentially been unemployed for quite a while. Being unemployed is really hard. It turns out to be the most challenging activity."

He added, "Go changes if you take a break. For the first two years or so, I thought it didn't matter whether I retired or not, but after that, it seems my sense of the game has definitely declined."

Lee also recalled his experience playing against artificial intelligence (AI) in 2021, saying, "The skill gap with the AI was huge, so even though I gave it a handicap, I still lost. I was really angry." He added, "So we played a very fair game. The AI had 20 seconds per move, while I had unlimited time. That's how you can win."

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original