The "boy genius" Baek Gang-hyeon, who gained fame through "Finding Genius," mentioned why he ultimately decided to drop out after entering a science high school at a young age.
On the Feb. 9 broadcast of SBS "Finding Genius Infinity" episode 2, Baek Gang-hyeon, an IQ 164 boy genius who had appeared on "Finding Genius," appeared and gave a status update.
Baek Gang-hyeon understood the concept of the unknown 'X' at 41 months old, and especially with an IQ of 164 he became the program's highest IQ subject, drawing attention. After his appearance, he entered middle school at age 9 and entered a science high school at age 10, but left the school due to school violence.
Baek Gang-hyeon's mother recalled the time, saying, "There was repeatedly a problem with one student in particular. They publicly posted bad things on the internet and bullied him a lot. That's why he dropped out," and she released the notice of disciplinary action, saying that the student received a "school violence level 3" sanction.
In response, Baek Gang-hyeon said, "I remember crying a lot. Actually, I didn't want to drop out. the science high school is still my alma mater," and admitted, "At that time I felt at a loss. After leaving the school I had a lot of worries."
In that situation, Baek Gang-hyeon received an offer to study abroad and applied to the University of Oxford in the U.K. Baek Gang-hyeon scored 85, far higher than the MAT average of 65 for the top-level admission test, proceeded to the final interview but was rejected.
Although he failed the college entrance exam, Baek Gang-hyeon is still challenging various things and preparing for his future. He was shown composing music and developing a game app, receiving encouragement from the hosts.
Meanwhile, when Baek Gang-hyeon appeared on SBS "Finding Genius" in 2016, he drew attention by being measured at an IQ of 164 by the Wechsler scale and an IQ of 204 by Mensa at the age of 3 years, 5 months. He quickly graduated elementary and middle school and entered Seoul Science High School in 2023 but dropped out after one semester.
At the time, Baek Gang-hyeon said, "I disliked becoming a machine that solves problems in the mirror," but his father mentioned school violence as the reason for the withdrawal, drawing social interest.
[Photo] Broadcast capture
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