History of Korean Professional Scene/Bonjwas

• Main article
• Timeline
• Bonjwas
• Golden trophies
• Statistics
• Foreigners

Bonjwa (see also dedicated article: Bonjwa) or 본좌 means to address myself honorifically, originally the self-raising first-person pronoun, used to distinguish oneself. While the specific meaning of the word does indicate somewhat it's true meaning for the progamers scene, it's important to mention also its importance for the viewers, commentators and players.

The origin of the importance of the word is closely tied to the emergence of sAviOr - a player representing Terran, a race which was considered weak at the time - who not only was able to consistently win tournaments and maintain high form, but also revolutionized the way his race was played.. Only when sAviOr was named Bonjwa were his Terran predecessors referred to this way, players who raised the weak race - Terrans - and reshaped them into a dominant force. That's how four Bonjwas were named:  BoxeR,  NaDa,  iloveoov and  sAviOr.

After a famous final, called revolution, in which Bisu beat sAviOr 3-0 to win his first MSL, Bisu was in capital position to become the next Bonjwa. However, while his PvZ was top notch, and in PvP he was perhaps challenged only be Stork, his PvT has proven to be his Achilles heel and never lived up to the expectations and Protosses' hope. In fact the discussion of "who will be the next Bonjwa?" after the downfall of sAviOr and especially after he was cast out (Match fixing scandal) was important for the emerging rivalries between top players of the time. Especially Jaedong proved to be an exceptional player, winning three OSLs and two MSLs but his firm hand on the progaming scene was only the breeding ground for the final Bonjwa of the Brood War scene:  Flash - a player able to match results of NaDa and play in finals of 6 consecutive Starcraft Leagues, winning 4 of them, a streak that has no equals in the history of the game.

List of Bonjwas

• BoxeR
• NaDa
• iloveoov
• sAviOr
• Flash

Facts

• Among 4 Golden Mouse recipients, only two were Bonjwas - NaDa and Flash.
• Among 5 Golden Badge recipients, only one wasn't Bonjwa - Bisu.
• BoxeR has the lowest number of Starcraft Leagues titles among all Bonjwas - 3. However, this can be partially explained by his peak predecessing the other league: MSL.
• Jaedong won more titles than two Bonjwas and is equal with the third - this is prime example of the argument for why the number of titles does not translate into Bonjwa status.