![Model and broadcaster Lee Hyun-yi. [Herald POP (now Herald Muse)]](https://wimg.heraldcorp.com/news/cms/2026/06/08/news-p.v1.20260523.c7c24cac399f47bbaf843a468bf5ec18_P1.jpg)
Model and broadcaster Lee Hyun-yi, 42, has shared what she learned from enrolling her 10-year-old son in a prestigious gifted youth camp run by Johns Hopkins University in the United States.
On June 6, Lee posted a video to her YouTube channel "Working Mom Lee Hyun-yi" titled "Did Lee Hyun-yi's son get into a US gifted camp? Everything about the Johns Hopkins CTY English camp, gathered through legwork." The Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth, or CTY, is a gifted education program for children and adolescents operated by Johns Hopkins University. The program is widely known for its notable alumni, including Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Google co-founder Sergey Brin and singer Lady Gaga.
In the video, Lee shared the lessons she learned while preparing her son for the program, covering the application process, details on the qualifying SCAT exam, required materials and costs.
Lee's husband, Hong Sung-ki, explained what prompted them to pursue CTY: their son had been reading a book about Elon Musk and told his parents he wanted to live in a dormitory in the United States, just like Musk.
The residential camp costs approximately $8,300 — about 13 million won — for a three-week stay. Hong said the figure gave him pause at first. "We thought it might be too expensive," he said. After researching Airbnb rentals in the Los Angeles area for the same period, however, he found accommodation alone would run about 11 million won, not including meals. "CTY, on the other hand, covers room and board and packs in high-quality education along with a full lineup of activities — weekend dance parties, weekday team projects, physical education and more," he said. "Given the cost of living in the US these days, it actually works out cheaper than a month-long stay. It's certainly expensive, but we didn't think it was unreasonable."
Lee said she could not help but hope her son's English would improve after three weeks in an all-English environment, but added that was secondary. "What matters more is that he gets to experience a wider world and broaden his horizons," she said. She went on to say that if the experience sparks a desire in him to return on his own, that motivation will carry over into self-directed study back in Korea. "That is what I truly hope for," she added.
Lee and Hong have previously shown their commitment to their children's education by enrolling their two sons in a prestigious private elementary school with annual tuition of around 10 million won ($7,200).
paq@heraldcorp.com
