KOREA FOUNDATION

ASEAN IN KOREA

Le Kieu Khanh Linh: The baduk player from Viet Nam
Le Kieu Khanh Linh left behind a stable life in Viet Nam for a country where she had no connections—just to learn baduk. For the May issue of the ACH Monthly, we sat down with Le Linh, a five year-resident of Korea, to hear more about her passion for baduk.

It’s very interesting that you decided to study baduk abroad. Why did you choose Korea?
I learned baduk in Viet Nam from 2011 until 2016 from Lee Kang-wook, an eight-dan baduk player. I decided to go to Korea because I wanted to study the game in more depth as well as the Korean language. I didn’t plan to become a professional player. My original plan was to study the history and culture of baduk. I arrived in Korea in August 2016 and entered Myongji University’s Department of Baduk Studies the next month.

We are also surprised by your desire to not just play baduk but to found a baduk magazine. What inspired you to create Myosu?
While studying baduk in graduate school, I soon learned that it is very difficult to find resources on baduk in languages other than Korean, Chinese, or Japanese. That is how I decided in 2017 to found Myosu, an English-language baduk magazine for baduk fans worldwide. Initially, we had six members but that number has since grown to twenty. I love the process of publishing each issue, which I believe our readers enjoy. For the time being, we are not publishing any new issues, but we will resume our publication soon because the editorial team wants to start publishing again.

Please introduce Myosu for our readers.
Myosu is an international baduk magazine that was founded to show readers various aspects of baduk by breaking away from the game’s stereotypical, formal image. It includes baduk news from all over the world, interviews of professional players, tournament reviews, and articles on baduk culture. We also put a lot of thought into the design to make it visually attractive—like a fashion magazine—to young readers.

What did you like (or find inconvenient) most about life in Korea?
There are so many things to learn about Korea, which is a baduk powerhouse. One very important strength is the easy accessibility of information. I also like having access to aspects of Korean culture, which is now famous worldwide, that I’m interested in, such as fashion. The hardest part is that I can’t see my family as often as I’d like. It’s especially tough right now because I haven’t been able to go to Viet Nam since the pandemic started in Korea. Everyone has their own life story. I think the best way to live is to do your best in what you love doing and to enjoy life to the fullest within your current circumstances.