The winner is awarded concerts in some of the world's best-known halls, contracts for recordings and a 30,000-euro ($33,000) prize.

However, Cho didn't made the decision to take part in the competition until last November.

"I prepared for the competition for less than a year but I have been playing those pieces of Chopin since I was a child," he says.

"I didn't expect to win the competition. I just enjoyed playing Chopin's music onstage during the competition."

Born in Seoul and now based in Paris, where he studies with Michel Beroff at the Paris Conservatoire, Cho read a lot about Chopin's life, visited Chopin's grave and the places he lived.

"When I am playing, I don't think much about my own style. I try to understand the composer and get a feel of his music for myself as much as possible," he says.

For Cho, the competition was an overwhelming experience. But before this, he had won international piano competitions. In 2008, Cho won the first prize at the Moscow Chopin Competition for Young Pianists. The next year, he won the first prize at the Hamamatsu International Piano Competition. He took third place at the International Tchaikovsky Competition in 2011 and another third prize at the Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Master Competition in 2014.