Bullied 10-year old prodigy denies going back to science high school

Baek Gang-hyeon in front of the Seoul Science High School in Seoul taken last year. [SCREEN SHOT]

The recent controversy surrounding a 10-year-old child prodigy who reportedly dropped out of one of Korea's most prestigious high schools due to alleged harassment from older classmates remains far from resolution.

The father of Baek Gang-hyeon has refuted media reports suggesting that his 10-year-old son would return to Seoul Science High School on Thursday.

The father strongly criticized the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, dismissing their investigation results that found no evidence of harassment as a "lie."

He also criticized the school for their handling of the situation.

He said that he had taken steps to request the school to establish a committee to review the harassment allegations. Additionally, he had planned to report online posts ridiculing his son to the police's cyber unit.

However, the school advised him not to proceed with these actions if he wished for his son to continue attending the school.

The father also revealed that the school had assured him they would address his son's isolation during group projects.

"We trusted the school," Baek's father stated.

Despite his older classmates' lack of interaction, Baek's father mentioned that his son persevered with the belief that enduring for two years would be worthwhile. However, the harassment persisted.

The father shared that he requested the teacher to modify the presentation system so that his son could work alone. Nonetheless, he was informed that the school couldn't adjust for one student's preference.

"The next day, Gang-hyeon came out of the bathroom and said he wanted to quit school," he said.

The father expressed the impression that Seoul Science High School no longer saw value in his son.

"I want to ask if the school ever discussed the measures it had promised Gang-hyeon," he questioned. "Why would you accept a 10-year-old if your school system forces students to leave if they can't endure?"

The school informed JoongAng Ilbo that they had followed proper procedures according to regulations. They added that they did not segregate Baek from the alleged harassers since the case didn't meet the threshold for such actions.

Baek first garnered attention when he appeared on a Korean TV show showcasing child prodigies at just 41 months old in 2016.

His achievement of a score of 163 on the Wechsler Intelligence Scale, equivalent to an IQ of 204 on the Mensa's IQ test, made headlines. This score falls within the top 0.0001 percent.

Beginning first grade at six years old in 2019, he completed elementary school as a fifth grader in 2020. From 2020 to 2022, he attended middle school.

This year, Baek was admitted to Seoul Science High School.

The son found himself caught in a maelstrom earlier this week when his father claimed on YouTube that his son had dropped out of the elite school due to harassment from classmates.

Baek, the 10-year-old, subsequently posted a video on his YouTube channel, announcing his decision to leave Seoul Science High School.

"Two days ago, while getting ready for school after summer vacation, I was busy memorizing math equations while brushing my teeth," Baek wrote in the YouTube statement. "When I saw myself in the mirror, I realized I was turning into a machine that only solved problems."
He expressed a sudden urge to engage in creative work.

However, on Monday, the father claimed the true reason for his son's departure was bullying by older students.

The older students excluded him from group projects and treated him as if he were invisible, while also subjecting him to online bullying, including calling him names.

Due to the stress, Baek's father revealed that his son became depressed and lost weight. Starting school in March at 27 kilograms (59 pounds), he now weighs 22 kilograms.
"The time was a form of torture," the father wrote.

Initially planning to keep his son's bullying a secret, the father decided to reveal the truth after receiving a humiliating email from a student's parent accusing them of lying.

The email demanded that they stop tarnishing the school's reputation. If they didn't remove the YouTube post, the parent threatened to expose that Baek wasn't as intelligent as portrayed.

"There isn't a parent [from the school] who doesn't know that Gang-hyeon only answered one math problem correctly on his entire mid-term exam," the parent said in an email that Baek's father posted on YouTube.

The woman later issued an apology.

BY LEE HO-JEONG [lee.hojeong@joongang.co.kr]