▲The draw ceremony for the 2026-2027 Hana Bank Korean Baduk League was held, hosted by Choi Yu-jin (최유진) and Yu Hee-young (유희영). - Eight teams to take part… Foreign players and Futures squads also revealed- Opening ceremony to be held at 11 a.m. on December 3 at Grand Walkerhill Seoul The Korean Baduk League, which has welcomed Hana Bank as its new title sponsor, held a draw ceremony to determine the match order for the new season. The draw ceremony for the 2026-2027 Hana Bank Korean Baduk League schedule, held on the 12th in the first-floor lounge of the Korea Baduk Association's annex building, was livestreamed on the Baduk TV YouTube channel, hosted by Choi Yu-jin (최유진) and Yoo Hui-young (유희영). This season, eight teams will take part, including defending champion Wonik (head coach Lee Hee-sung (이희성)), Ulsan Korea Zinc (head coach Park Seung-hwa (박승화)), GS Caltex (head coach Park Jeong-sang (박정상)), Cyber Oro (head coach Kim Se-dong (김세동)), Jangseong Dragons (head coach Kim Man-su (김만수)), Hanok Village Jeonju (head coach Yang Geon (양건)), Suryeohan Hapcheon (head coach Go Geun-tae (고근태)), and Hwaseong Special City (head coach Park Si-yeol (박시열)). The Korea Baduk League, which has adopted a semi-club system, announced each team's captain and season salaries on the 28th of last month. At the draw ceremony that day, it also announced the status of player and foreign player signings for the Korea Baduk League, as well as the rosters for the Futures Korea Baduk League, which serves as its second division. GS Caltex, which signed top-ranked Shin Jin-seo (신진서) 9-dan, drew attention after agreeing to a contract for 140 million won, the highest salary for a team captain, and then selecting China's third-ranked Wang Xinghao (왕싱하오) 9-dan as its foreign player. Ulsan Korea Zinc, led by No. 2-ranked Shin Min-jun (신민준) 9-dan, will team up with Liao Yuanhe (랴오위안허) 9-dan. Won Ik signed Qin Weicheng (진위청) 9-dan, Hanok Village Jeonju signed Yang Dingxin (양딩신) 9-dan, Suryeohan Hapcheon signed Chen Yunong (천위눙) 8-dan, and Hwaseong Special City signed Li Weiqing (리웨이칭) 9-dan as their foreign players. Cyber Oro and Jangseong Dragons did not sign foreign players. The Futures Korean Baduk League roster also includes Mok Jin-seok (목진석) and Park Yeong-hun (박영훈), both 9-dan and veterans of the top division, as well as rising young players such as Kim Ha-yun (김하윤), a 3-dan born in 2011, and Han Ju-yeong (한주영) and Gi Min-chan (기민찬), both 4-dan born in 2009. According to the results of the draw, the opening match on December 3 will be a clash between Jangseong Dragons and Cyber Oro. On the 4th, Suryeohan Hapcheon and GS Caltex follow, on the 5th Ulsan Korea Zinc and Won, and on the 6th Hanok Village Jeonju and Hwaseong Special City will play their first games of the season. The opening ceremony will be held at 11 a.m. on December 3 at Grand Walkerhill Seoul in Gwangjin District, Seoul. In the 2026-2027 Hana Bank Korean Baduk League, the regular season champion's prize is 50 million won and the postseason champion's prize is 100 million won. The time control uses a cumulative-time system: 30 minutes per player plus 20 seconds per move for the captain's match, and 1 minute per player plus 15 seconds per move for the rapid matches.
