Korea’s Junior Team Wins Astronomy Olympiad
By Park Si-soo
Staff Reporter
Korea's young science prodigies took all in an international science competition with an outstanding performance.
The Korean national team of eight gifted Koreans in astronomy won the championship at the 12th International Astronomy Olympiad (IAO), which ran from Oct. 1-Oct. 4 at Simeiz, Crimea.
The Korean representatives secured five golds, two silvers and one bronze medal in the three-day competition, putting their country in first place among 21 participating nations.
It is the highest achievement ever made since 2003 when the government first sent a group of talented students in astronomy to the Olympiad.
Lee Jong-yeon from Eulji Middle School in Seoul, who participated in the competition for 14-15 year olds, recorded the highest scores in three major tests including theory, performance and observation, becoming the champion in the field.
Cho Sung-yoon from the middle school attached to the Dankook University College of Education and Han Dong-geun from Uijeongbu Science High School won the competitions for performance and observation, respectively.
The Euro-Asian Astronomical Society held first the IAO meeting in Russia in 1996. The Korean national team first attended the IAO in Sweden in 2003. In 2006, Korea took second place among 19 participating states by winning three golds, three silvers and one bronze medal.
A total of 114 science prodigies from 21 countries attended the international competition. Korea dispatched eight members to IAO this year.