South Korea's team at the 67th International Mathematical Olympiad. From left: Byeon Seo-jin, Lee Hyun-jun, Hong Seung-wook, Kim Chae-min, Kim Dong-hyeon and Shim Seong-jin. [Ministry of Science and ICT]
South Korea's team at the 67th International Mathematical Olympiad. From left: Byeon Seo-jin, Lee Hyun-jun, Hong Seung-wook, Kim Chae-min, Kim Dong-hyeon and Shim Seong-jin. [Ministry of Science and ICT]

All six members of South Korea's delegation won medals at the 67th International Mathematical Olympiad, held in Shanghai, China, the Ministry of Science and ICT and the Korea Foundation for the Advancement of Science and Creativity announced Wednesday.

Competing against 666 students from 117 countries, the Korean team claimed gold medals for Byeon Seo-jin (Sejong Science High School, grade 10), Shim Seong-jin (Seoul Science High School, grade 10) and Lee Hyun-jun (Seoul Science High School, grade 12); silver medals for Kim Dong-hyeon (Seoul Science High School, grade 11) and Hong Seung-wook (Seoul Science High School, grade 11); and an honorable mention for Kim Chae-min (Seoul Science High School, grade 10).

Lee Hyun-jun stood out with a perfect score of 42 points, finishing first in the individual rankings and earning gold for the second consecutive year in his second consecutive appearance at the competition.

The olympiad featured six problems worth 7 points each, drawn from algebra, combinatorics, geometry and number theory, with contestants given four hours and 30 minutes per day over two days. This year, problems 3 and 6 — the final questions of each day — were especially difficult, and problem 2 was also harder than in previous years, making the overall exam more challenging than usual.

Song Yong-jin, head of the Korean Mathematical Olympiad Committee delegation, praised the students. "As competition among countries to cultivate global mathematical talent grows fiercer by the day, I am proud of what our students have accomplished," he said. "I hope they will build on the experience and knowledge gained at this competition and grow into the future leaders who will carry South Korea's basic sciences forward."

Meanwhile, the Korean delegation is set to compete in a series of international science olympiads this year, including those in informatics, earth science, and astronomy and astrophysics.


nbgkoo@heraldcorp.com