This former child prodigy had the world at his feet even before he took his first step as a child. There’s no telling if being born to academics had anything to do with it but Kim Ung-Yong did a lot of unbelievable things in the academic world and he started as early as when he was a year old. He supposedly started talking at four months old and by the time he celebrated his first birthday, Kim had mastered the Korean alphabet, as well as 1,000 Chinese characters and he was able to achieve this feat just by reading a 6th-century Chinese poem titled Thousand Character Classic.
If that sounded impressive, then brace up for more astonishing accomplishments the then child prodigy stunned the world with.
Kim Ung-Yong Bio
On March 8, 1962, a genius was born in the city of Seoul, South Korea. As a one-year-old, when his mates were still learning how to talk, young Kim was already reciting the Korean alphabet and knew all of 1,000 Chinese characters. He started solving calculus problems at three in addition to publishing a best-seller – a compilation of his essays in English and German, coupled with his calligraphy and illustrations.
As a five-year-old, Kim Ung-Yong had a good command of five languages – Korean, English, French, German, and Japanese. An article written about the amazing five-year-old caught the attention of Grant High School in Los Angeles. The school invited him over and he enrolled there at that tender age and also audited a physics class at Hanyang University. He garnered more media attention at this stage and made TV appearances where he left audiences in utmost shock with his mind-blowing intelligence. On Fuji Television in Japan, Kim solved complicated differential equations and integral calculus problems which further announced his outstanding talent to the world.
Believe it or not, at the age of 8, little Kim Ung-Yong was a college student at the University of Colorado where he studied Nuclear Physics and soon finished with a master’s degree. At this age also, his services were secured by The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). He was with the American federal government body for ten years before he realized it wasn’t the best life for him. Recounting the days he spent working with NASA, Kim said he felt like a machine that has been programmed to do the same things over and over. He maintained a routine that involved sleeping, solving equations, and eating. Thus, he barely made friends and his life became boring.
He eventually quit the coveted NASA job and went back to his home country – South Korea, where he had to complete the formal education system, most of which he skipped as he fast-tracked his studies abroad. Notwithstanding, he was able to secure his elementary, middle, and high school certificates within a space of two years.
Where Is Kim Ung-Yong Now?
After studying Civil Engineering at the Chungbuk National University, earning a Ph.D. in the process, the Korean genius assumed the role of the adjunct faculty at Chungbuk National University in 2007. Several years later (in 2014), he was made an associate professor at Shinhan University. Also, he became the vice president of the North Kyeong-gi Development Research Center.
Speaking on the high expectations that have always followed him from childhood, Kim said having a high IQ does not guarantee success, or at least not the kind people expect from him. He once entered the Guinness World Record as the bearer of the highest IQ in the world, at a whopping score of 210.
His Parents, Wife, and Kids
The genius was born to Korean academics – Kim Soo-Sun (father), a physics professor, and his mother, Yoo Myeong-Hyeon, who was a medical professor. It appears Kim grew up as an only child of his folks or if he was raised with any sibling, his star was too bright to allow any attention on any other member of his family. Also, there is no mention of a wife in the life of the Korean professor but he has two sons – Kim Soon-ho and Kim Soon-hoo; their mother is not known to the public.
The strict life Kim lived from childhood affected his social life, making it hard to trace any past or present romantic relationship.
