
Photo: Anonymous / CC BY-SA 4.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Kim Ung-yong's story almost sounds like fiction. A reported IQ above 210, university at age four, a NASA invitation at seven, five languages by five; these are the kind of figures that turned him into a global symbol of the child prodigy. What I find most compelling, though, is what came after the headlines: he reportedly chose a quieter life as a civil engineer and professor in South Korea rather than chasing genius mythology. That choice resonates with me more than the records do. It's a reminder that a remarkable mind doesn't owe the world spectacle, and an ordinary, content life is its own success.
Overview
Kim Ung-Yong or Kim Woong-Yong (Korean: 김웅용; born March 8, 1962) is a South Korean civil engineer and professor. He is best known for being a child prodigy with the highest recorded IQ on record, having scored above 210 on the Stanford–Binet Intelligence Scale. He entered university at age 4 and at age 7, he received an invitation to work at NASA. By age 5, he spoke five languages.
Summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Kim Ung-yong
- Name (Japanese)
- キム・ウンヨン
- Reading
- きむ・うんよん
- Born
- March 8, 1962 (age 64)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Pisces / Tiger
- Origin
- Seoul, South Korea
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- civil engineer / nuclear physicist
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Grant High School
- University
- University of Colorado
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
- Wikipedia (Japanese)https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E9%87%91%E9%9B%84%E9%8E%94
More people from South Korea →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.