Lee Young-ho, the younger brother of South Korean Go player Lee Chang-ho and the chairman of the Lee Sedol Go Academy, died in Beijing on Jan. 28 at the age of 48, becoming the latest foreigner to die in China suddenly.
On Jan. 29, the Korean Medical Association announced, “Mr. Lee, who lived in Beijing, China, died suddenly of a myocardial infarction.”
Mr. Lee Young-ho had lived and worked in Beijing for a long time, married a Chinese woman, and became a naturalized Chinese citizen.
The Go Family
Mr. Lee Chang-ho is the second oldest among the three brothers. The Korean Chess Academy authorized his promotion to 9-dan rank in 1996. Mr. Lee Chang-ho won 17 World Championships and 21 International Championships, and many believe he is the best Go player of the late 1990s and early 2000s.Mr. Lee Young-ho, one year younger than Mr. Lee Chang-ho, often accompanied his elder brother to Go tournaments, especially in China.
Lee Jae-ryong, the brothers’ father, ran a clock shop. Mr. Lee Chang-ho’s autobiography states that his father was affectionate and warm-hearted. He taught him to keep a calm mind in competitions and never pressured him, silently supporting him with his fatherly love.
The character Choi Taek in the 2015 South Korean television series “Reply 1988” was based on Mr. Lee Chang-ho and his father’s relationship; the show won multiple awards.
Mr. Lee Jae-ryong, passed away on May. 6, 2023, at 75, in Jeonju, South Korea, after a long illness.
In October 2003, Mr. Lee Young-ho told media outlets that his parents were anxious about his elder brother’s marriage because he did not have a girlfriend yet. The parents told Mr. Lee Chang-ho that they prefer a Korean daughter-in-law but would not mind a foreigner if he really liked her.
Ties with China
Not as gifted as his older brother in playing Go, Mr. Lee Young-ho showed an aptitude for languages, especially Chinese.During his sophomore year, Mr. Lee Young-ho studied Chinese for three months at Beijing Language and Culture University as an exchange student. This short-term stay became a turning point that changed the course of his life.
During his studies in China, he spent his free time after school walking around Beijing to learn about the local culture and customs. After that, he visited Beijing during every summer and winter break to study Chinese and travel until graduating.
He met a Northeast woman, Liu Xinyu, in Beijing by chance. After six years, they married in 2007 at the Asian Games Village in Beijing. The wedding was attended by Mr. Lee Chang-ho’s family, Wang Yi, then head of the Foreign Affairs Department of the China Weiqi Association, and other Chinese and South Korean Go players.
Mr. Lee Young-ho became a Chinese citizen and had two sons after the marriage.
Bridging China and Korea
In July 1997, when the China Weiqi Association and the South Korean Chess Academy organized the first China-Korea Tengen (a Go competition), Mr. Lee Young-ho accompanied his brother Mr. Lee Chang-ho to the tournament and stayed in the same room to take care of him.As Mr. Lee Young-ho speaks Chinese, he helped form friendships between Chinese Go player Chang Hao and Mr. Lee Chang-ho, and became an indispensable participant in the communication between the two Go players.
Mr. Lee Chang-ho is renowned for his calmness and ability to remain unperturbed when playing Go. In his spare time, he is quiet, with a solemn expression that makes him difficult to approach.
Mr. Lee Young-ho, who has a different personality, acted as an interpreter and a bridge between Mr. Lee Chang-ho and the Chinese players.
In Beijing, Mr. Lee Chang-ho once ran a Korean restaurant, a trading company, and a student counseling organization. Because of his brother, he knew many people in the Go world, including Lee Sedol, the famous South Korean Go player of 9 dan rank.
After Mr. Lee Chang-ho’s tournaments in China were reduced, Mr. Lee Young-ho often interpreted for Mr. Lee Sedol and helped him set up the “Lee Sedol Go Academy” in Beijing, which attracted over 800 students at its peak.
Recent Deaths of Pro-CCP Celebrities
Lee Young-ho is among the recent wave of pro-CCP celebrities who died in China.On Dec. 3, 2023, Cheng Po-Yu, the first Taiwanese to receive a Beijing Resident Permit (in 2018), died in Beijing at the age of 37. His cause of death was not revealed.
Mr. Cheng was a long-time supporter of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). He was the first executive director of the Cross-Strait Youth Exchange Association and was awarded the Beijing Youth May Fourth Medal in 2019.
On Dec. 11, 2023, famous Hong Kong actress Kathy Zhou Hoi-mei died in Beijing at 57. Ms. Zhou was in films such as Red Star Over China, which sang the praises of the CCP’s so-called “Long March.” She also shared on Weibo that she received her COVID-19 vaccine, which was added to her “Personal Life” section on her Baidu social media account but was deleted after her death.
On Jan. 1, 2024, Taiwanese baseball star Chang Chih-chia died at 43 in Shenzhen. Chang spoke to his family on New Year’s Eve but did not pick up phone calls on Jan. 1. Asked to check on him, his landlord found him lying on the ground.
Deceived by the CCP, many Taiwanese celebrities thought it would be easy to make money in China and turned to the mainland. However, to develop a career in China, they’re required to be in tune with the CCP’s propaganda and sing praises for the regime, or else they can easily be subject to cyberbullying.
In 2021, Taiwan’s FTV News Channel reported that at least 10 Taiwanese celebrities “congratulated the motherland” during the National Day of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Still, their voices could not be heard during the National Day of the Republic of China (ROC), triggering strong criticism from Taiwanese public.
