South Korean magician Yu Ho-jin captured the prestigious Magician of the Year Award on Sunday at the Academy of Magical Arts (AMA) annual awards show, held at the Orpheum Theatre in Hollywood.
Yu, 23, first rose to prominence as a card magician in 2012 when he became the first Asian to win the Federation Internationale des Societes Magiques (FISM) World Championships of Magic, a competition that’s widely considered the Olympic Games for magicians.
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Having started practicing magic at age 9, Yu is best known for his creativity and elegance. He reportedly spent 13 hours a day over five years to hone his skills in order to compete at the 2012 world championship.
Yu, 23, also performed his famously whimsical card tricks at Sunday’s show, which was hosted by award-winning magician and magic historian Mike Caveney, with celebrity guests that included Seigfried Fischbacher of Seigfried & Roy and Max Maven. (For a peek at Yu’s magic, click on the video at the end of this post.)
The AMA, founded in 1963, is an organization dedicated to the art of magic, with its headquarters at the Magic Castle in Hollywood. Its membership includes world-renowned magicians and illusionists.
