Actor Kim Jung-tae has introduced his gifted son to the public.
On the November 11th episode of TV CHOSUN's 'Dad and Me Season 3', Kim Jung-tae, a 28-year veteran actor, joined the show with his 16-year-old son Kim Ji-hoo, who has grown from a cute 'Yaggoong' to a genius boy. From the morning, Kim Jung-tae showered his younger son, Kim Si-hyun, with affectionate kisses.
Witnessing this, Jeon Soo-kyung, who mistook it for a romantic gesture with his wife, was shocked, exclaiming, "Isn't this rated 49?" Meanwhile, Jeon Hyun-moo was amazed by the affectionate atmosphere, joking, "Isn't he giving artificial respiration?" Kim Jung-tae's younger son accepted the family's affectionate culture naturally, saying, "Dad's kisses are a bit slobbery, but it's okay once I wipe it off." Kim Jung-tae cooked while his wife and younger son chatted happily beside him.
Meanwhile, his eldest son, Kim Ji-hoo, was engrossed in something in his room. Ji-hoo was developing a game using the laws of physics. Once the game was completed, he lined up colorful plastic bottle caps he had collected and described their subtle color differences in fluent English. Ji-hoo, who was selected as a science prodigy in middle school and completed the gifted education program with excellent grades, is proficient in six languages. His native-level English skills left Jeon Hyun-moo and Han Hye-jin envious, saying, "We're so jealous."
Ji-hoo's genius was further highlighted by his hobbies, which include animation production and coding. Kim Jung-tae revealed, "Ji-hoo is more comfortable with English. He started with English and spoke Korean at four. There were suspicions of developmental disabilities due to his awkward Korean." He added, "Ji-hoo is unique in a good way, but difficult to understand negatively," expressing the distance he feels with his son. Kim Jung-tae's wife shared, "I think Ji-hoo has Asperger's syndrome. Since he was young, he would become intensely focused on one thing, which was frightening. He's indifferent to others and doesn't understand people's feelings, but his excellent English skills are a positive aspect... it's a double-edged sword."
Ji-hoo's difficulty in reading social situations was evident even among his family. While the family was busy setting the table, Ji-hoo continued to talk about his favorite animation. His mother listened and responded to his stories but explained, "The biggest problem is that he only talks about what he likes and doesn't listen to others."
Kim Jung-tae found it challenging to communicate with Ji-hoo, who has a unique interest in difficult fields like physics and English. Watching his son trying to connect with the family in the studio VCR, Kim Jung-tae reflected, "I need to take an interest in Ji-hoo's words. I was cautious about pretending to know things I didn't, but I think I lacked effort. He seems lonely," and resolved to change for his somewhat special son.
Kim Se-ah, TenAsia Reporter haesmik@tenasia.co.kr