Most School Olympiad Winners Are from Capital Area

A recent analysis shows that Shinmok Middle School and Seoul Science High School have produced the most number of winners in Korea’s domestic math and science Olympiads over the past three years.

About three quarters of the winners were found to be living in the capital area. Gyeonggi Province (2,448 winners) produced more winners than Seoul (2,289 winners), and 68 percent, or 1,514 high school winners, were from science high schools.

According to an analysis that the Dong-A Ilbo conducted of the 8,819 secondary students who won a bronze medal or better in six science Olympiads between 2005 and 2007 (the Korea Mathematical, Physics, Chemistry, Earth Science, Biology, and Astronomy Olympiads), 75.8 percent, or 6,688 winners, went to high schools in the capital area.

Seoul topped the list with 3,163 winners or 35.9 percent, followed by Gyeonggi Province (33.9 percent, or 2,989 winners), Incheon (6.1 percent, or 536 winners), Busan (5.8 percent, or 514 winners), South Gyeongsang Province (4.1 percent, or 361 winners), and Daegu (4 percent, or 353 winners).

Among middle schools, Shinmok Middle School in Mok-dong, Seoul had 75 winners, followed by Daecheong Middle School in Gangnam, Seoul (71 winners) and Jeongbal Middle School in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province (61 winners).

Among high schools, Seoul Science High School ranked first with 417 winners, followed by Gyeonggi Science High School (293 winners), Korea Science Academy (186 winners), and Uijeongbu Science High School (139 winners).

Korea sends winners of domestic Olympiads to compete in the International Olympiads. A total of 363 Koreans have won a bronze medal or better in the International Olympiads since 1988. Although Korea had only three medal winners in 1988, the number of Korean medal winners has risen tenfold in 20 years, recording 31 winners in 2007, compared to 13 winners in 1992 and 23 winners in 1998.

Among high schools, Seoul Science High School topped the list with 157 winners, or 43.2 percent, followed by Gyeonggi Science High School (33 winners), Hansung Science High School (24 winners), Korea Science Academy (22 winners), Daegu Science High School (21 winners), and the Korean Minjok Leadership Academy (14 winners).

ceric@donga.com