Korean Go master Lee Se-dol, who is known for having faced Google's artificial intelligence (AI) program AlphaGo in the ancient board game, has decided to withdraw from the local professional Go players' association, apparently feeling uncomfortable about how much of a cut of his prize money they take.

It turns out that Lee, a ninth-dan player who turned pro at the age of 12, has already submitted a withdrawal letter to Yang Kun, the head of the Korean pro Go players' association, on Tuesday, along with his older brother Lee Sang-hoon, who is also a ninth-dan player. Yang and the senior delegates will have a meeting on Thursday to discuss the case of the Lee brothers.

This is the first time in South Korea that a pro Go player has decided to leave the association. All 320 pro Go players in Korea are registered with the association that was established in 1967.

Sources said that Lee is apparently fed up with the association's requirement to receive a cut of its members' prize money. The Go players are required pay five percent of their prize money to the association when they compete in events sanctioned by the Korea Baduk Association (KBA). For competitions overseas, players must pay three percent of their earnings.

This means that top-class Go players like Lee have been giving much more money to the association than those with average performance in tournaments. Lee has won 48 titles in his career, including 18 international events. The 33-year-old reportedly wanted to implement a sliding percentage rate based on player performance.

Under the articles of the association, a non-member is prohibited from competing in KBA competitions. But the Lee brothers claim that there is no legally binding force in the association's articles, saying that the association is just a "social club" for Go players.

The Lee brothers said that they could file a lawsuit if they are blocked from competing in KBA events.

Lee gained international fame when he entered the historic man-versus-machine showdown against Google AI AlphaGo in March. He lost 4-1 to the self-learning algorithm in a five-round Go tournament in Seoul.

Go, known as "baduk" in Korea, originated in China more than

2,500 years ago. It involves two players alternately placing black and white stones on a checkerboard-like grid of 19 lines by 19 lines. The object is to claim larger territories than one's opponent by surrounding vacant areas of the board with one's own stones. (Yonhap)