Against all odds, this Korean professor solved a 20-year-old math mystery

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Against all odds, this Korean professor solved a 20-year-old math mystery

Published: 19 Jun. 2025, 14:33 Updated: 19 Jun. 2025, 20:51

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

Park Jin-young, an assistant professor of mathematics at New York University [JOONGANG ILBO]

Park Jin-young, an assistant professor of mathematics at New York University, has emerged as a leading expert in probabilistic combinatorics, a branch of discrete mathematics, for her groundbreaking work in solving one of the field’s long-standing open problems.

Park is the recipient of this year's Yumin Awards in the sciences category. Despite only earning her Ph.D. in 2020, Park, 43, has already made headlines in the global math community by proving the Kahn-Kalai conjecture — a hypothesis that had stumped mathematicians for nearly two decades.

The conjecture, proposed by Jeff Kahn and Gil Kalai in 2006, posited that there is a narrow gap between a threshold — the point at which a system undergoes a fundamental change in state — and a closely estimated value for it.

Park’s proof confirmed this expectation, marking a significant advance in understanding how discrete structures behave across various systems, from molecular configurations and biological networks to complex social and technological systems.

Her contribution has been widely recognized. Among other honors, she received the Maryam Mirzakhani New Frontiers Prize from the Breakthrough Foundation.

“Her work is expected to greatly enhance our understanding of complex systems and networks, including the internet,” said Kwak Si-jong, president of the Korean Mathematical Society. “Park has also elevated the stature of Korean academia by delivering over 80 invited lectures and keynote speeches at leading institutions such as Harvard, MIT and Stanford over the past five years.”

Park’s journey to mathematical acclaim is anything but conventional. After graduating from Seoul National University with a degree in math education, she spent six and a half years teaching in Korean middle and high schools.

The Yumin Award [JOONGANG ILBO]

In 2011, she moved to the United States due to her husband’s overseas assignment and decided to rekindle her academic aspirations.

“Spending that time in the United States, I felt it would be a waste not to pursue something meaningful — and I remembered how much I used to love math,” she said.

Despite having no recent academic record, she applied to Ph.D. programs, enduring multiple rejections before being admitted to Rutgers University.

Returning to mathematics after a ten-year hiatus was a steep climb.

“All my classmates were like geniuses, and I wasn’t sure I could really become a mathematician,” Park recalled.

A crucial turning point came with the guidance of her advisor, Jeff Kahn — one of the world’s foremost experts in probabilistic combinatorics and, like Park, someone who came to math from a nontraditional background, having studied English literature as an undergraduate. His belief that “deep thinking matters more than quick solutions” became Park’s own academic philosophy.

Together with doctoral student Huy Tuan Pham, Park successfully proved the Kahn-Kalai conjecture — originally proposed by Kahn and Kalai themselves.

“For me, doing mathematical research isn’t just about achievements — it’s a source of joy,” Park said. “To keep enjoying it long-term, I’m working on cultivating both intellectual stamina and physical endurance.”

Run by the JoongAng Hwadong Foundation, the Yumin Awards were established in 2010 in memory of Hong Jin-ki (1917-1986), co-founder and former chairman of the JoongAng Ilbo, who was active in government, business and media during the founding of the country and throughout its industrialization.

The awards recognize Koreans who made outstanding contributions to society, science and technology, as well as the culture and arts.

This year’s winners were praised for their forward-thinking achievements. The award’s judging panel includes Oh Se-jung, former president of Seoul National University and chair of the selection committee; Oh Jun-ho, distinguished professor at KAIST; Yu Myeong-hee, honorary researcher at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology; Kim Eun-mee, professor at Seoul National University; Joo Wan, attorney at Kim & Chang; Kim Bong-ryol, former president of the Korea National University of Arts and Jang Eun-soo, head of the Editorial Culture Laboratory.

The late Hong Jin-ki (1917–1986) founded Korea’s first private broadcaster, Tongyang Broadcasting Company (TBC), and later launched the JoongAng Ilbo, turning it into one of Korea’s leading newspapers.

Park Jin-young

*Born in 1982
*Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics Education, Seoul National University
*Ph.D. in Mathematics, Rutgers University
*Researcher, Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton (2020-2021)
*Research Professor, Stanford University (2021-2022)
*Assistant Professor, New York University (2023~)
*Maryam Mirzakhani New Frontier Award (2023)
*Sloan Research Fellowship, Dénes König Award (2024)

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY CHOI JOON-HO [[email protected]]