All five Korean students win gold at astronomy olympiad for first time
In short
Five South Korean high-school students all won gold medals at the 19th International Astronomy and Astrophysics Olympiad held in Hanoi from September 25 to October 5, the Ministry of Science and ICT and the Korea Foundation for the Advancement of Science and Creativity said. It is the first time the entire Korean delegation has taken gold. The competition covered theory, data analysis and observation over four days, with problems based on James Webb Space Telescope data.
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All five members of the South Korean delegation won gold medals at the 19th International Astronomy and Astrophysics Olympiad, the Ministry of Science and ICT and the Korea Foundation for the Advancement of Science and Creativity said on October 6. It is the first time the entire Korean team has taken gold at the competition, according to Yonhap. The olympiad was held in Hanoi, Vietnam, from September 25 to October 5. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
The medal winners were Kim Geon-ho and Kim Hyeong-geon of Seoul Science High School, Park Ha-yun of Daejeon Science High School, Yeo Eun-su of Sejong Academy of Science and Arts, and Yun Ye-jun of Gwangju Science High School, all in their third year, the reports said. Asia Economy reported that 312 students from 64 countries took part, a figure not given by the other documents. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
The competition ran over four days with theory, data analysis and observation tests, according to Yonhap and Asia Economy. Asia Economy said the theory test lasted five hours and accounted for 50 percent of the score and the data analysis test four hours for 25 percent, while the observation test was split between telescope work and a planetarium. The theory paper contained 12 problems, including on the spiral structure of stellar winds from evolved stars, and the data analysis test used James Webb Space Telescope observations, including a problem analysing little red dots found in the early universe and one verifying the equation of state of neutron stars, according to the same outlet. Observation tasks included using a reflecting telescope to observe Saturn and the open cluster M29 in Cygnus and estimating a black hole's mass through reverberation mapping. [ 2 , 4 ]
Lee Hee-won, head of the Korea Astronomy Olympiad Committee, said the competition lets astronomy talents from each country exchange ideas and show creative knowledge and enthusiasm for space, and expressed hope that the students would grow into key talent for Korea in the space era, Asia Economy reported. Korea took part in eight international olympiads this year, with only the International Junior Science Olympiad, scheduled for December 2 to 9, still to come, the outlet said. [ 4 ]
Why it matters
The result is presented by the science ministry and the competition organisers as a national achievement in astronomy education, and the delegation is one of eight Korean teams sent to international olympiads this year. The documents give no further indication of consequences beyond the competition itself.
Key facts
- The 19th International Astronomy and Astrophysics Olympiad was held in Hanoi, Vietnam, from September 25 to October 5 [ 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- All five members of the Korean delegation won gold medals, the first time the whole team has done so [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- The medal winners are Kim Geon-ho and Kim Hyeong-geon of Seoul Science High School, Park Ha-yun of Daejeon Science High School, Yeo Eun-su of Sejong Academy of Science and Arts, and Yun Ye-jun of Gwangju Science High School, all third-year students [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- The competition ran for four days with theory, data analysis and observation tests [ 2 , 4 ]
- The theory test carried 12 problems, including on the spiral structure of stellar winds from evolved stars and ultra-luminous galaxies in the early universe [ 2 , 4 ]
- The data analysis test used James Webb Space Telescope observations, including a problem on little red dots found in the early universe and one verifying the equation of state of neutron stars [ 4 ]
- A total of 312 students from 64 countries took part, according to Asia Economy [ 4 ]
- Korea entered eight international olympiads this year, with only the International Junior Science Olympiad on December 2-9 remaining [ 4 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- All five Korean delegation members won gold medals at the 19th International Astronomy and Astrophysics Olympiad, the first all-gold result for Korea [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- The olympiad was held in Hanoi from September 25 to October 5 [ 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- The delegates were Kim Geon-ho, Kim Hyeong-geon, Park Ha-yun, Yeo Eun-su and Yun Ye-jun, all third-year high-school students [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- The competition consisted of theory, data analysis and observation tests over four days [ 2 , 4 ]
Still unclear
- How many countries and students took part Only Asia Economy gives figures — 64 countries and 312 students — and no other document confirms them
- Individual scores, rankings or the number of gold medals awarded overall No document reports individual scores or the total medal distribution
- The full list of Korean students' schools in the Chosun Ilbo summary, which is truncated The Chosun Ilbo document breaks off mid-sentence, so its details cannot be checked against it
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Chosun Ilbo reports that all five Korean students won gold medals [ 1 ]
- Yonhap reports the science ministry and foundation announcement, calling it Korea's first all-gold delegation [ 2 ]
- Newsis reports the result and names the five medal winners [ 3 ]
- Asia Economy reports the result with competition details, including 312 students from 64 countries and a quote from delegation head Lee Hee-won [ 4 ]