Kim Ung-Yong was a former South Korean child prodigy. He started talking when he was only four months old. At three years old, they featured him in different reality shows in Japan and South Korea, solving complex physics problems. He issued a book of his essays that is translated into two languages, English and German. He also published a book of calligraphy and illustrations that become a huge best-seller during its release. Upon reaching four years of age, he mastered and fluently spoke in 5 different languages: Korean, Japanese, German, English, and French.
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| Image: RVCJ Media |
The phase of youth is a gift given and taken for granted by many adolescents today. Youth is the time where trial and error in life takes place, a phase where people develop a more mature self-image. Most adults today explored and experienced well their own youth to the fullest, but others do not. In Kim Ung-Yong’s case, he did not even touch a little of his youth as he dives deep into the world of adults too soon.
Born from parents that are both professors, his lifelong dream was also to become one. But his IQ requires more than being a professor. Scoring, a stunning 210 Intelligent Quotient, attracts huge and well-known organization facilities that needed geniuses like him. At 8, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)scouted Kim Ung-Yong. His job requires him to solve the required problems every day but quitted after working with NASA for ten years. He thought what he was doing will be used for destructive purposes and he became tired of doing his usual routine without getting proper credit.
Kim Ung-Yong goes back to Korea
to chase the dream he always wanted upon quitting his job. Instead of a warm
welcome, he received hate from his fellow Koreans and called him a ‘wasted
genius’. The people did not like Kim Ung-Yong to sacrifice his
talents just for his own personal reasons. As a response, he stated that,
“People put too much emphasis on IQ. Society should not judge anyone with
unilateral standards. Everyone has different learning levels, hopes, talents,
and dreams, and we should respect that.”
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| Image: Story Pick |
To finally reach his dream, he first needed to finish the Korean Educational System. After finishing high school, he enrolled in college as a Civil Engineering student. He believed that engineering was constructive and does give him a peace of mind that his previous job in NASA cannot provide. At the age of 52, Kim Ung-Yong finally found the happiness he has been seeking for a long time as he becomes a professor at Shinhwan University.
“I’m trying to tell people that
I am happy the way I am. But why do people have to call my happiness a
failure?” he asked. People might not understand how difficult it is for Kim
Ung-Yong having his youth stolen by certain circumstances. Instead of drinking
milk and whining whenever he is hungry, he is already reading a book and
solving math problems. People should realize the importance of every stage aperson must encounter to fully develop his/her well-being.
Written by Yna Barcia, IFY Books
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