'10-Year-Old Billiards Prodigy' Kim Young-won Donates 30 Million Won Scholarship to His Former School, North Seoul Middle School: "Will Fully Cover Lesson Fees for Aspiring Billiards Players"

*This content was translated by AI.

Kim Young-won (18, Harim), a high school student who earned the title of 'youngest champion' on the professional billiards (PBA) stage, has demonstrated warm generosity by supporting his junior students at his former school.

The Professional Billiards Association (PBA) announced on the 18th that "Kim Young-won, accompanied by his father Kim Chang-soo (45), visited his alma mater, North Seoul Middle School (Principal Jung Young-soon), on the 17th to deliver a 30 million won scholarship."

According to the PBA, North Seoul Middle School plans to allocate the donated 30 million won over the next two years as the 'Kim Young-won Scholarship.' The recipients will include students from low-income families and those facing economic hardship (SOS), students with special talents pursuing career development in sports, and students who serve as role models for others.

Notably, Kim Young-won's careful consideration for expanding the reach of billiards was reflected in this scholarship. He requested the school to add a special provision: "If any student wishes to receive billiards lessons, please fully cover the lesson fees." This gesture shows his consideration to allow juniors to pursue their dreams in billiards without financial burden.

At the donation ceremony, Kim Young-won shared his feelings, saying, "It is meaningful to be able to help my juniors as a senior, and I am proud to have a scholarship named after me. I hope this will provide even a little strength to students who are practicing sports in difficult environments."

Jung Young-soon, principal of North Seoul Middle School, responded, "I was greatly surprised that Kim Young-won, despite his young age, readily donated such a significant amount. I deeply appreciate his warm heart toward his alma mater and juniors. We will use the 'Kim Young-won Scholarship' carefully to help students grow into outstanding talents."

This donation is the result of Kim Young-won fulfilling his promise to return the love he received from fans to society. He had previously expressed his intention to donate during a press conference immediately after winning the 'Hana Card Hana Capital Jeju Special Self-Governing Province World Championship,' the King of Kings tournament of the previous season.

At that time, Kim Young-won, who secured the 200th million won prize money for the championship, declared, "I heard that a novelist two years younger than me made a large donation. Although I have not decided on the amount, I want to surely return the love I received." He has now fulfilled that promise through the scholarship delivery to his alma mater.

Meanwhile, Kim Young-won, who made a meteoric debut on the PBA stage at the age of 16 in 2022, has recorded four career championships and one runner-up finish to date, placing him sixth in the cumulative prize money ranking with 571 million won. In particular, during the recently concluded Season 2 Tour (High1 Resort Championship), he defeated Vietnam's strong contender Ngo Dinh Nai (Hyundai Glovis) to lift his fourth trophy, leading the charge for the first-place ranking in this season.

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*This content was translated by AI.