[Fourteen-Year-Old Math Genius Yu Seoha, Headed to America After All?]
-The Boston-area daily newspaper Daily IT recently reported that the Korean boy genius drawing worldwide attention is highly likely to decide on attending MIT.
The basis for the report was a statement made by Harold Whitman, dean of MIT’s Department of Mathematics, at a conference held on the 5th.
“We will do everything in our power to allow Seoha to continue his research at MIT.”
Although MIT has not issued an official comment, the newspaper reported that the school is considering support on multiple fronts to accommodate Yu’s family.
Yu Seoha stunned the global mathematics community at the age of thirteen by completing, in his own way, a proof of the Four Color Theorem, which had been considered impossible without the aid of computers.
In addition, the Riemann Hypothesis and…
(omitted)
The Korean academic world expressed both astonishment and complicated feelings.
A professor at Seoul National University voiced regret, saying, “There are no benefits a Korean university can offer a student of this caliber.”
A KAIST official also lamented, “In the United States, universities can autonomously propose conditions to students, but if we did the same thing in Korea, it would be illegal.”
When this paper inquired with the Ministry of Education, it was confirmed to be true.
An official from the Ministry of Education explained, “Domestic universities cannot offer conditional admission or customized benefits to individual students in order to guarantee fairness in college admissions.”
In the end, while the domestic system fails to keep pace, other countries are engaged in fierce competition to bring Yu Seoha to them.
(rest omitted)
└MIT at fourteen?
└I’ve been keeping an eye on this kid since he was little, and he’s going overseas after all. Let’s change the system already.
└If you change that, there’s plenty of room for abuse, no? You’re basically saying we should allow admission without exams, and that doesn’t fit our country.
└What can you do when we don’t recognize exceptions? If it were me, I’d go to America too.
└Harvard has accepted an eleven-year-old as a student before. We’re just way too conservative.
└Honestly, let’s have some shame. They say he’s majoring in math, but does Korean mathematics even have a future?
└The level of Asian mathematics is China > Japan, India >>>> the rest. At least have professors ready to teach him before trying to lure him in.
└I’m in pure science too, and because basic research doesn’t make money, funding doesn’t come in.
└Yeah, exactly. If you don’t produce results, even that gets cut. But what kind of results are they expecting in math and physics lol. In the end, even professors don’t have an environment where they can research in peace.
└If you hear what postdocs in math get paid, you’ll cry. It’s at the level where they have to compete with convenience store part-timers.
└Out of a 10-billion-won budget for a major national project, guess how much goes to math? 100 million won lol.
In an instant, thousands upon thousands of comments were posted.
Most of them were self-mocking remarks about the reality of Korea, which neglects basic science.
└Still, he’ll have to go to the army, right?
└Nah, he can just change his nationality. There’ll be tons of places begging him to come, won’t there?
└For humanity’s sake, if someone wins a Fields Medal or a Nobel Prize, let them off military service. Are those worth less than an Asian Games medal?
└Don’t they already exempt them?
└If you win a famous music competition, you get exempted lol. But there’s nothing like that for science.
└No, we should hear the government’s side on this too. They’d have to have at least one person win something before making a law lol. We just never needed it.
└Don’t talk nonsense. Do you know the average age of Nobel Prize winners? Sixty. You want them to postpone enlistment until then?
└They’re saying there’s no way for scientists to get military exemption. So if you’re a successful researcher, wouldn’t you obviously start craving permanent residency?
Basic science researchers swarmed in and took over the comments.
For decades, basic science had been neglected under a policy direction that prioritized rapid development. Researchers screamed out, but their voices never spread far.
* * *
Seoha was dumbfounded by the phone notifications pouring in since morning.
Ding—
“Another one.”
-Seoha, are you going to America? Then you should’ve told your hyung in advance! This won’t do. Let’s start by learning the rabona kick right away.
-Go two years ahead of me. I’ll follow you later ㅠㅠ
His message window looked like it was about to burst.
Seoha put his phone down for a moment and went outside.
Creak—
The creaking sound that rang out every time he stepped on the wooden floor felt welcome.
The smell of grilled mackerel drifted through the crack in the kitchen door.
“Mom!”
Miyeong, wearing an apron and setting the table, turned around.
“What is it?”
“Am I going to America? They say there’s an article.”
Miyeong paused for a moment, then moved the side dishes into bowls as if nothing had happened.
“That’s the plan. The school said they’d support everything, after all. Your dad’s going to resign and come with us too.”
“What? Really?”
“Yes. Your father’s already making a fuss about starting to study English.
The work at the township office must have been hard on him all this time. Dealing with petitioners is exhausting work.”
“Can you decide something like this so easily?”
“Why not? Your mom was a good student in school too, you know? I’ll learn that bit of English in no time. Thanks to my son, I’ll get out of this backwater for once.”
“What about Seoeun?”
“When she heard we were going to America, she got excited and went to brag to the other kids.”
Seoha blinked blankly.
Just like that, as easily as going to the store to buy a block of tofu, his entire family’s move had been decided.
He had a lot he wanted to say, but seeing his mother happily humming to herself, he thought this might not be so bad either.
“Go get Seoeun so we can eat. And buy a block of tofu on your way back.”
Seoha nodded without thinking.
“Okay.”
His head was full of question marks.
But since everyone in his family looked happy, for now, he simply wanted to be happy with them.
* * *
Miyeong took out five admission letters.
“Where do you want to go? The conditions are all similar, so you can choose anywhere.”
They were all schools competing for the number one spot in world university rankings.
Among them, Seoha chose MIT.
‘This area should be the safest, right? Seoeun seems to like Cambridge too.’
Once the university was decided, preparations for admission proceeded with astonishing speed.
A few days later, MIT’s Office of International Cooperation dispatched a Korean staff member.
“I will help you with every procedure.”
From issuing the I-20 to the visa interview and documents related to the family’s stay… As if accustomed to it, he handled everything without hesitation.
“Um, but what happens to Seoha’s high school diploma?”
The staff member reassured Miyeong.
“You don’t need to worry. In Seoha’s case, he will be classified under Exceptional Admission.
His research achievements, recommendation letters, and the verification results of his papers take precedence over formal academic credentials.”
“But…”
Even after the staff member’s explanation, Miyeong’s expression remained dark.
The fact that Seoha would not officially graduate from high school weighed on her mind.
In the end, Miyeong decided to visit the school.
Knock, knock.
“Welcome, Seoha’s mother!”
The principal sprang up from his seat and bowed politely.
“I saw the newspaper. It seems you’re thinking of sending Yu to America?”
Miyeong hesitated, then spoke with difficulty.
“Yes, but can Seoha receive a diploma? I came because I wondered if there might be a way.”
The principal adjusted his glasses and nodded.
“As it happens, I was just about to speak to you about that.”
Even now, he was the greatest outcome the gifted high school had ever produced, but more than anything, he was a talent whose future was worth looking forward to.
In the principal’s mind, Seoha had already become the first person in the world to win both the Nobel Prize and the Fields Medal at the same time.
Of course, MIT would be listed as his alma mater in his introduction, but there would also be no small number of people who looked up his high school.
“Seoha is the pride of our school. I should help with whatever I can.”
Miyeong looked at the principal in surprise.
“Then is graduation possible?”
“Gifted schools are different from ordinary high schools. We also have regulations that have already been discussed with the Office of Education.
In fact, there has been a case at another school where a student advanced early after only one year. Of course, that student received a diploma as well.”
The principal recalled the day Seoha first entered the school a year ago.
He had expected him to become a blessing, but he had never imagined it would be to this extent.
“Seoha’s intellectual abilities had, in truth, far surpassed the scope of high school education. He took first place at the IMO, and his paper evaluations are excellent as well.
If I had the authority, I would have given him a doctorate.”
Miyeong let out a sigh of relief.
It felt as though a stone had been lifted from her chest.
Rattle.
He took several documents out of his drawer.
They were a request for early graduation recognition and a report form for the Office of Education, as if he had prepared them in advance.
“However, would you allow us to use Seoha in our school promotional materials? Of course, we will discuss all matters of portrait rights and use of his name with you beforehand.”
“Yes! Seoha liked this school very much too.”
“That’s a relief.”
Thud!
The principal’s official seal was stamped on the document.
「Request for Permission for Early Graduation」
Reason: Outstanding academic achievements of student Yu Seoha and early admission to an overseas university
* * *
As the admission preparations neared completion, Seoha’s mind grew urgent as well.
America’s college admissions season began in late August.
Before departure, he had to raise his family’s English ability as much as possible.
“Mom, apple!
You have to say it short. It’s the ‘ae’ sound, not ‘eh.’”
After dinner, everyone gathered together amicably and began studying English.
“Dad! I told you ‘What?’ sounds rude. You must never say that.”
For his parents, Seoha made a very practical grammar book. And whenever he had time, he corrected pronunciations that were easy to confuse.
The goal was communication above all else.
He wanted his beloved parents to experience as little inconvenience as possible in an unfamiliar land.
‘Did they always like studying? They must really be looking forward to life in America.’
Seeing the two of them more motivated than expected, Seoha tilted his head.
Late at night,
under the light of the desk lamp, the shadows of the two stretched long.
Only after Miyeong and Cheolho had checked every word they had decided to memorize that day did they close their books.
“Should we try one more time? Let’s not stammer in front of Seoha.”
Cheolho nodded and pressed the recorder.
The awkward English flowing out of the recorder was painfully embarrassing, but the couple endured it.
After memorizing all “100 Survival Sentences” Seoha had given them, the two were now practicing so they could use them in real situations.
“Where is the nearest clinic?”
“Oh! Your pronunciation sounded just like an actor’s.”
Even aside from Seoha, starting to study again brought vitality back into the couple’s life.
“Are you really going to be all right? It’s not even a leave of absence…”
Miyeong was grateful to Cheolho for cleanly handing in his resignation, but she also felt sorry.
“A family should be together.
And I’m the head of the household. I’m not so pathetic that I can’t take responsibility for my wife and two children.”
She had worried whether her husband, who had lived his entire life as a civil servant, would be able to adapt to a new life, but the person before her was a more dependable head of household than anyone.
“It’ll be tough, sure, but there will definitely be something I can do there too. So first, I need to get my English right.”
At her husband’s words, Miyeong nodded.
She was, surprisingly, a timid person. She preferred stability and disliked adventure.
The most advanced country in the world, yet at the same time a place where guns and drugs were part of daily life.
For several nights, she had lost sleep wondering what she would do if someone in her family suffered because of this decision.
People around her all said that if they went to America without anything, they would suffer terribly.
She had also heard warnings that subtle racial discrimination would be a part of everyday life.
But if the whole family was together, she felt they could overcome whatever hardships came their way.
‘It’s all right.’
As if making a vow, Miyeong spoke aloud the sentence she had memorized.
“It’s okay. We will be fine.”