South Korean students excelled at the International Mathematical Olympiad, winning three gold medals and securing sixth place overall.
On Wednesday, the Ministry of Science and Information and Communications Technology (ICT) and the Korea Foundation for the Advancement of Science and Creativity announced that the six-member South Korean delegation earned three gold medals, two silver medals, and one honorable mention at the 67th International Mathematical Olympiad held in Shanghai, China.
Gold medals were awarded to Byun Seo-jin, a freshman at Sejong Science High School; Sim Seong-jin, a freshman at Seoul Science High School; and Lee Hyun-jun, a senior at Seoul Science High School. Kim Dong-hyun and Hong Seung-wook, both juniors at Seoul Science High School, received silver medals, while Kim Chae-min, a freshman at Seoul Science High School, earned an honorable mention.
Notably, Lee Hyun-jun achieved a perfect score of 42 points, ranking first individually and securing his second consecutive gold medal following last year’s competition.
Building on last year’s impressive performance of four gold and two silver medals, all six South Korean representatives this year also received medals or honorable mentions, maintaining their winning streak.
This year’s competition saw record participation with 666 students from 117 countries, an increase of 7 countries and 36 students compared to last year’s 110 countries and 630 participants.
The Olympiad featured six problems covering algebra, combinatorics, geometry, and number theory. Students tackled these challenges over two days, with four and a half hours allocated each day. Each problem was worth seven points, for a maximum possible score of 42 points.
Established in 1959, the International Mathematical Olympiad aims to motivate young math prodigies worldwide and foster international friendship and cultural exchange. Each country can send up to six students under 20 years old who have not yet entered university.
Following their success at the International Mathematical Olympiad, the South Korean delegation is set to compete in the International Olympiad in Informatics and the International Earth Science Olympiad in August, followed by the International Astronomy and Astrophysics Olympiad in September.