Baek Gang-hyeon, who drew attention as a prodigy, shared a recent update through music.
On Jan. 2 Baek Gang-hyeon released a New Year greeting and a song he wrote and composed himself on his official channel. He conveyed his update with a greeting saying, "Happy New Year. I hope you stay healthy in 2026 and that only good things fill everything you do. Thank you."
The song released together is "To a Distant Girl from a Foreign Land (a distant girl from a foreign land)," an original song that Baek Gang-hyeon wrote and composed himself.
Through the song he calmly expressed feelings about a relationship separated by time and space, saying, "We stand on opposite sides of the planet and look up at the same sun, but our gazes can never meet." He then revealed delicate emotions, saying, "Even knowing we cannot meet, this conversation in which we exchange words is inevitably fleeting."
Baek Gang-hyeon was born in 2012 and attracted attention as a top 0.0001% prodigy after appearing on SBS' "The Genius Discovery" in 2016 at age 3, where he recorded an IQ of 204 by Mensa standards. He later skipped grades and entered Seoul Science High School, but drew significant attention in 2023 when he announced he had withdrawn after one semester. At the time his father claimed school bullying was behind the withdrawal.
In September last year Baek Gang-hyeon again drew attention when he announced plans to apply to the University of Oxford's computer science department. He said his grades are within the top 1% and added, "Even if I am accepted, a student visa is issued from age 16, so if possible I would like to receive an offer for admission three years from now." He also revealed career plans aiming to become an expert in the AI field.
In November he released an interview invitation email from Oxford's computer science department and explained the current situation in detail, saying, "Of about 1,600 applicants, roughly 400 are invited to interview, and the final number accepted is around 48." He thanked supporters and said, "I will do my best in the remaining interviews."
[Photo] YouTube capture
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