More from Korea

Before I do that I will say two things. I finally received my $900.00 from Medalist Darts Korea. I won the tournament on the 18th of December and I received my prize money January 27th. I had to find out where the main office to Medalist in Korea was and begin sending E-mails. Someone must have contacted the local rep because he contacted me soon after that and I received my money. So far, Petro has not received his prize money; however, he has not pursued it as aggressively as I have to my knowledge.

Also, I would like to say that the KDF, Korea Dart Federation, a member of the WDF, continues to avoid my E-mail. In the last two E-mails I requested specific information on membership dues and requirements. Petro went to the Philippines and joined the PDF. He will receive a card and future tournament information from Steve Dorotheo, a very strong supporter of this sport we all love.

Okay, back to Korea. For Steel tip darts, the Seoul International Dart League and the Song-tan International Dart League are tops. They have both been around for decades and are indeed top-notch organizations with a host of quality shooters. If you are looking for steel tip darts in Korea, Seoul and Song-tan are the places to be. Unfortunately, these great organizations have no international ties. Their members are generally unaware of internationally sanctioned events.

In the midst of all this, one new organization is sailing along head and heels above the rest. The Corean Dart Family (CDF), under the guidance of Park, Jae-woo, President, and the very beautiful, intelligent and bilingual Kim, Song-me, Director (All the guys are in love!) is doing things the right way! The CDF is a soft tip organization. They currently host a very well run tournament on the first Sunday of each month. The tournament is held at the Kean-hee Elementary School in Seoul. The tournament format includes a Singles event and a mixed doubles event. The brackets are reasonably handicapped and include the following divisions; A-B, C, D and E. Entry fees are $20.00 (20,000 Korean Won) per event. The prize money is broken down as follows.

A-B: First Place ($500.00). Second Place ($250.00). Third Place
(150.00)
C: First Place ($350.00). Second Place ($150.00). Third Place
(100.00)
D: First Place ($200.00). Second place ($100.00). Third Place
($50.00)
E: First Place ($100.00) Second Place ($50.00). Third Place
($20.00)

The events begin at 12-noon and are completed by 8PM. You can expect to see anywhere between 120 to 140 players at the venue. So if you are looking for a day of entertaining darts play, and you happen to be visiting Seoul, Korea, you can contact the CDF by calling (02) 548-0267.

Finally, the tournament is held on the Korean made Phoenix Electronic Dartboards. These boards are quality built and on a par with anything on the market today. They have a backup function so darts that stick in one number but register another can be backed out and replaced with the proper score.

I would also like to mention that Phoenix is the same company that has the Unicorn dart distributorship here in Korea. While they have not yet set up a web page for dart sales, I have been told it is in the works, and a small selection of Unicorn products are available at each of the tournaments. I had the opportunity to speak with Chon, Gyong-beong at this last event, a Phoenix Company Director, who informed me that the new Phoenix boards have been place in many cities all over Korea. It looks as though Pheonix will be on top of the local markets as the sport of darts continues to grow here in Korea.

See you at the oche!

Karl