Kim Ung-Yong Hangul is a South Korean professor and former child prodigy, who claims to have held the Guinness World Record for highest IQ, at 210.
Biography
Early life
Kim Ung-yong was born on March 8, 1962, in Seoul, South Korea. His father was a physics professor and his mother was a medical professor. By the time he was a year old, Kim had learned both the Korean alphabet and 1,000 Chinese characters by studying the Thousand Character Classic, a 6th-century Chinese poem. At three years old, he was able to solve calculus problems, and he also published a best-selling book of his essays in English and German, as well as his calligraphy and illustrations. By the age of five, Kim could speak Korean, English, French, German and Japanese. That year, he enrolled at Grant High School in Los Angeles after an article was published about him in Look magazine that caught the attention of the school. He also audited a physics class at Hanyang University.
Fuji TV appearance
At the age of five, Kim appeared on Fuji Television in Japan and shocked the audience by solving differential equations. He appeared on Japanese television again on November 5, when he solved complicated differential and integral calculus problems.
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A popular rumor was that when he was eight years old, Kim allegedly went to study nuclear physics at the University of Colorado, according to popular sources. This, however, has been disputed and disproved from sources at the time. In the time of his college entrance exam's fitness section, where he gained much media attention, his father revealed to reporters that going to Japan to shoot the Fuji TV show was the "one and only time he went out of the country", and that the information of his Ph.D and master's degree progress in the States was "journalistic nonsense". His statement that Kim did not leave at all is slightly detracted by the statement of Kim's mother, who stated that while he did "leave for a short moment to audit classes at the University of Colorado", he was returned immediately due to their facilities being "inadequate for the 's genius", who was then homeschooled until his college entrance exam. While the specifics may be blurred, it is clear that the evidence is in favor of his attendance to the University of Colorado being a misconstrued rumor.
He went to work for NASA, where he worked for ten years. In 2010, Kim said of his years at NASA, "At that time, I led my life like a machine―I woke up, solved the daily assigned equation, ate, slept, and so forth. I really didn't know what I was doing, and I was lonely and had no friends."
Upon returning to South Korea, Kim was required to formally complete South Korean schooling in order to get a job. He earned his elementary, middle, and high school degrees in just two years. He later enrolled in Chungbuk National University where he studied civil engineering and earned a Ph.D.
Adulthood
As of 2007, he served as adjunct faculty at Chungbuk National University. On March 14, 2014, he became associate professor in Shinhan University, and became vice president of North Kyeong-gi Development Research Center.
In 2010, Kim criticized the idea that he is a "failed genius" and additionally said, "Some think people with a high IQ can be omnipotent, but that's not true. Look at me, I don't have musical talent, nor am I excelling in sports. Society should not judge anyone with unilateral standards – everyone has different learning levels, hopes, talents, and dreams and we should respect that."
IQ
At the age of four, according to Kim's claim, he scored IQ 200 on a child IQ test normally given to seven-year-old. However, his claim has never been verified.
Top questions
Is Kim Ung-yong alive?
No death has been reported for Kim Ung-yong, who was born on 8 March 1962 in Seoul. The latest information about him dates from 14 March 2014, when he became an associate professor at Shinhan University and vice president of the North Kyeong-gi Development Research Center.
Who is Kim Ung-yong?
Kim Ung-yong is a South Korean professor and former child prodigy, born in Seoul in 1962. By the age of five he spoke Korean, English, French, German and Japanese, and he appeared on Japanese television solving differential equations. He later earned a PhD in civil engineering at Chungbuk National University.
Is Kim Ung-yong's IQ the highest ever recorded?
Not verifiably. Kim claims that at age four he scored IQ 200 on a child IQ test normally given to seven-year-olds, but the claim has never been verified. He is also described as claiming to have held the Guinness World Record for the highest IQ, at 210.
What could Kim Ung-yong do as a child?
By age one Kim had learned the Korean alphabet and 1,000 Chinese characters. At three he could solve calculus problems and published a best-selling book of essays in English and German, with his calligraphy and illustrations. At five he appeared on Fuji Television in Japan solving differential equations.
Did Kim Ung-yong work at NASA?
By his own account, yes: Kim has said he worked for NASA for ten years. In 2010 he described living there like a machine, waking, solving his daily assigned equation, eating and sleeping, and said he was lonely and had no friends. The claim is disputed: his father said the trip to Japan for the Fuji TV show was the only time Kim left the country. Back in South Korea, Kim earned his elementary, middle and high school degrees in just two years.
Did Kim Ung-yong study nuclear physics at age eight?
That is a popular rumor, and it has been disputed and disproved. His father said that the trip to Japan for the Fuji TV show was the only time Kim left the country and called reports of his American degrees journalistic nonsense. His mother said he briefly audited classes at the University of Colorado but was returned because the facilities were inadequate.
What does Kim Ung-yong say about being called a failed genius?
In 2010 Kim rejected the idea that he is a failed genius. He said some people think a high IQ makes one omnipotent, but that is not true, noting that he has no musical talent and does not excel at sports. He said society should not judge anyone by unilateral standards.
