What he did
The record reported by VnExpress International in September 2025 is specific. Baek completed elementary and middle school in three years and entered Seoul Science High School, the most selective science school in South Korea. He left it in August 2023. Over the following year and a half he prepared for International A-levels and achieved A*, the highest available grade, in four subjects: further mathematics, mathematics, physics and chemistry.
On 6 September he posted a video titled “Applying to Oxford University”. It drew more than 200,000 views and nearly 10,000 likes within days. He was applying for computer science, and was practising for the Mathematics Admissions Test with scores between 98 and 100 out of 100.
Why he left school
His own explanation was about what the classroom was turning him into. Sitting in class, he said, made him feel like a problem-solving machine, and he feared that school would stifle his creativity.
His father gave a second, harder reason. Baek had been isolated socially, bullied by older classmates and harassed online. Those are the family's own public statements and they belong in the record, because they explain a decision that otherwise looks like impatience. A twelve-year-old in a class of sixteen-year-olds is an anomaly to be managed, and South Korea's elite science schools are not designed around that problem.
The number, and what it means
The figure attached to him is an IQ of 204, reported by VnExpress citing The Korea Times, and described as the top 0.0001 per cent. The same report gives the underlying result as 163 on the Wechsler scale.
Those are not two scores. They are one performance expressed on two scales with different spreads: a result 63 points above average on a scale where 15 points is one standard deviation converts to roughly 204 on a scale where the same step is about 24. Neither number should be read as a measurement of anything at that extreme. Standardised tests are calibrated against samples of ordinary size, and beyond the top fraction of a per cent there are too few people in the sample to distinguish one score from another with any confidence. A reported 204 means the ceiling of the instrument was reached, not that a measurable point beyond it was found.
The rule he could not pass
UCAS, the British university admissions service, requires applicants to be at least 13. Baek was 12. The United Kingdom's student visa rules present a second barrier, prohibiting entry before the age of 16.
Those rules are not academic judgements and cannot be argued with on academic grounds. They exist because a university is a place full of adults, with residential halls, laboratories and legal liability, and nothing about a MAT practice score of 100 changes the safeguarding arithmetic. What the video did was make a public case, which is a different route to the same door.
Where Baek Kang-hyeon is now
As of September 2025 the record shows an Oxford application blocked by age, four A* grades already achieved, and a stated ambition to work in artificial intelligence: wearable smart devices and AI-driven virtual reality games. He planned to release two mobile applications that year and two more the next.
He had first appeared on Korean television at 41 months old, demonstrating mathematics and music. Nothing after September 2025 is documented in the sources used here, including whether the application progressed, and this page does not guess. What is established is a body of external results, the A-levels chief among them, which is the part of the record that does not depend on anyone's estimate of a number.
| Person | Country | Milestone | Age / Stat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elijah Kodzo Motey | Canada | Accepted into Mensa International at six | Age 2 |
| Lawson Lundberg | United States | Joining Mensa at 3 | Age 3 |
| Nishi Uggalle | United Kingdom | Winning Channel 4's Child Genius in 2019 | Age 10 |
| Baek Kang-hyeon | South Korea | Applying to Oxford computer science at 12 | Age 12 |
| David Camacho | Mexico | Selection for a Jr. NASA programme, 2024 | — |
What is documented — and what is not
✓ Documented
- Achieved A* in four International A-levels: further maths, maths, physics and chemistry (VnExpress)
- Left Seoul Science High School in August 2023, citing the effect of classroom work on his creativity
- Applied to Oxford computer science at 12; UCAS requires applicants to be at least 13 (VnExpress)
? Unverified, disputed or wrong
- The IQ figure of 204 is reported by VnExpress citing The Korea Times, not independently verified, and scores at that extreme are not precisely measurable
- No date of birth published
- No reporting on the outcome of the Oxford application or on him after September 2025
Questions people ask about Baek Kang-hyeon
How old is Baek Kang-hyeon?
He was 12 in September 2025, placing his birth around 2013. No date of birth is published.
What is Baek Kang-hyeon's IQ?
A figure of 204 has been reported, derived from a score of 163 on the Wechsler scale. The two numbers describe one result on two different scales, and scores at that extreme are not precisely measurable.
Why did he drop out of school?
He said class made him feel like a problem-solving machine and feared it would stifle his creativity. His father also described social isolation, bullying by older classmates and online harassment.
What grades did he get?
A*, the highest available, in four International A-levels: further mathematics, mathematics, physics and chemistry.
Did he get into Oxford?
The sources used here do not report an admission. UCAS requires applicants to be at least 13, and he was 12 when he applied.
What does he want to do?
Work in artificial intelligence, including wearable smart devices and AI-driven virtual reality games. He planned to release four mobile apps over two years.
Is Baek Kang-hyeon on Wikipedia?
No Wikipedia article on him was identified in the research behind this page.
Where is he now?
Nothing after September 2025 appears in the sources used here.
Quick quiz: how well do you know Kang-hyeon’s story?
How many A-level subjects did Baek Kang-hyeon pass at A*?
What stopped his Oxford application?
What subject did he apply to study?
Sources
- 12-year-old Korean genius with IQ 204 applies to Oxford after dropping out of school — VnExpress International, 2025-09-17
Checked by the Geniuses.club editorial team. Ages are given as of September 2026.
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