Musical Actress Kim So-hyun Shares Update on Her Gifted Son's Achievements

Musical actress Kim So-hyun recently shared updates about her gifted son.

On the October 6th episode of MBC's variety show 'Radio Star' (hereafter referred to as 'Radio Star'), episode 888 featured guests including Ye Esther, Lee Dong-jin, Kim So-hyun, and Kim Ddol-ddol.

During the show, Kim So-hyun, whose entire family graduated from Seoul National University, stated, "My father is a professor at Seoul National University's medical school, and my younger brother is also a professor there. I graduated from Seoul National University's music department, as did my younger sister and mother. Everyone has at least a master's degree from Seoul National University."

She continued, "People often ask if my parents forced us to attend Seoul National University, but that wasn't the case. However, they did influence our choice of majors. They even decided my brother's department, nephrology, because my father is a nephrologist."

Kim So-hyun proudly added, "I was the only one who got in on my first try. My father, mother, and younger sister had to retake the entrance exam, and my younger brother took it three times."

When asked about the secret to sending all three siblings to Seoul National University, Kim So-hyun revealed, "My father cut the TV cable when I was in high school, telling me to stop watching TV. As a result, I couldn't watch TV at home for 10 years." She also mentioned that the family would go for drives to Gwanak Mountain every weekend, which she felt was a form of silent pressure.

Kim So-hyun recalled her father saying, "You're even more extreme," after she took her son to Columbia University during a trip to New York. She humorously recounted, "He joked, 'At least I only aimed for Seoul National University, but you're trying to send him to the Ivy League.'"

Her son, Joo-an, who takes after his Seoul National University mother and Yonsei University father, is also a 'top 0.1%' gifted child. Kim So-hyun shared, "Since both his parents are involved in music and singing, he has a good sense of pitch. However, he dislikes singing and refuses to play instruments. When asked what he wants to do, he says he's into science. He enjoys games, coding, and even builds robots."

She continued, "He won an award for proposing an idea for an automatic tray collection robot on 'Disability Day.' He also received an award in an essay competition. Recently, he participated in a UNESCO competition to promote our cultural heritage, where he and his friends created a website using 3D printing."

Reporter Taeyuna, Ten Asia youyou@tenasia.co.kr