Go genius Lee Sedol admits he cannot predict his wife's moves

World-class Go player Lee Sedol revealed he cannot predict his wife's intentions during the KBS 2TV variety program "Problem Child in House" on the 20th. Despite being married for 21 years, the former professional player shared that reading his wife's heart is nearly impossible.

Lee Sedol, who could foresee dozens of moves ahead on a Go board, found himself unable to predict his wife's heart. Even in his 21st year of marriage, he provided laughs with a candid response that reading his wife's true intentions is nearly impossible. The cold, calculated reading of moves performed by the genius Go player who reached the top of the world does not seem to work in marital relationships. Additionally, Kim Jong-kook, who has started married life, broke into a sweat over questions regarding a wife's heart, turning the studio into a sea of laughter.

Lee Sedol will appear on the KBS 2TV variety program "Problem Child in House" on the 20th, alongside actor Heo Sung-tae. This broadcast is expected to reveal the human side of Lee Sedol, a man who made a name for himself as an unrivaled competitor in the Go world, and stories regarding his married life. Interest is focused on what kind of husband he is at home, despite having shown cold judgment in the intense world of competition.

Kim Sook opened the conversation. She asked if he could predict his wife's thoughts in advance, just as one reads an opponent's next move in Go. To this, Lee Sedol replied without hesitation, "You can never know my wife's moves." His confession that he cannot perfectly understand his wife even after living together for 21 years caused laughter, showing that even for a master of Go, there are unsolvable problems in human relationships.

Following Lee Sedol's answer, Kim Jong-kook interjected with a confident attitude. He suggested that while reading moves might not be possible, "there are a few correct answers," implying that while one cannot perfectly grasp a wife's mind, there are appropriate ways to respond to situations. However, the atmosphere changed when Yang Se-chan continued with questions by presenting specific scenarios. Kim Jong-kook, who had spoken so confidently, was unable to answer readily and eventually admitted, "Just thinking about it makes me break out in a sweat," drawing laughter. It revealed the reality that even if one knows the theoretical correct answer, it is not easy in actual situations.

Lee Sedol also revealed that he likes it when people around him treat him comfortably rather than with difficulty. He stated, "I like it when people treat me casually," showing a side quite different from the intense and cold competitor image he showed on the Go board. This is interpreted as him preferring relationships where people approach him without formality rather than treating him with difficulty due to his title as a world-class player. It drew attention that the competitor, who never missed an opponent's mistake in fierce competition, values comfort over formality in daily life.

Kim Sook did not miss Lee Sedol's remark and immediately continued with a joke. After stating that her weight is 60kg, she posed a question to Lee Sedol, to which he responded, "It is the same as my age," coloring the scene with laughter. It was a witty response that twisted a question about weight into a comment about age. The conversation, which moved from serious Go talk to married life and jokes about weight, is expected to show another charm of Lee Sedol.

After entering the professional world in 1995, Lee Sedol grew into a world-class player and reached 9-dan in 2003. He established himself as a representative of Korean Go, winning numerous titles in major domestic and international competitions. In particular, his victory in the 4th game against Google DeepMind's artificial intelligence AlphaGo in 2016 is evaluated as a symbolic moment remaining in Go history. That single victory in the confrontation between humans and artificial intelligence was an event that showed human possibility during an era when technology was rapidly encroaching on the human domain.

After concluding his professional Go career in 2019, Lee Sedol has expanded his areas of activity through broadcasts and lectures. The image he showed in this broadcast is closer to a human charm that is difficult to explain with the modifier "world-class Go genius" alone. While he teaches competition through meticulous calculation in Go, his confession that he cannot ultimately know the heart of the wife he has lived with for many years humorously reminds us of the complexity of marital relationships. In that the process of trying to understand each other may be more important than the effort to read every move, Lee Sedol's honest words evoke empathy beyond mere laughter.

Read the original (Korean)