The student, surnamed Lim, is the son of Hotel Shilla CEO Lee Boo-jin and the nephew of current Samsung Chairman Lee Jae-yong.
Lim, a third-year student at Whimoon High School, reportedly missed only one question on the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT), widely known as the Suneung, which was held last month.
The test, an eight-hour marathon of back-to-back exams, is notoriously intense and considered the single most important academic event in South Korea, annually affecting the entire country’s operations, with stock markets delayed and flights momentarily halted, as reported by AFP.
The news about Lim was first shared publicly on Facebook by Park Sun-young, Chairwoman of the New Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
Her post noted that Lim “reportedly got only one question wrong on this year’s Suneung,” adding that he “never lost the top spot in the entire school all through his years at Whimoon Middle School,” according to The Korea Herald.
The achievement is particularly notable because, unlike many children of wealthy chaebol (family-owned conglomerate) families who study abroad, Lim completed all of his primary and secondary education domestically.
He previously attended Gyeonggi Elementary School and Whimoon Middle School, where he ranked second upon graduation.
This decision to remain within Korea’s demanding system has sparked widespread admiration, according to Korea Timesboth domestically and among Korean communities overseas. Many netizens see Lim’s success as proof of the effectiveness of local education and an example that excellence can be achieved through focus and consistency.
The CSAT is essential for admission to top universities and is regarded as a gateway to social mobility, economic security, and elite standing for the more than 550,000 students who took the test this year. The exam covers six main sections, including core subjects like Korean, Math, and English, plus electives.
This year’s exam was particularly difficult. According to the scoring results released last week by the Korea Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation, only five students achieved perfect scores due to the increased difficulty of the Korean and English sections.
The English section was so challenging that only 3.11% of students received a top Grade 1 score.
Industry insiders, as cited by The Korea Heraldbelieve that with such a near-perfect score, Lim is almost certain to be admitted into the Business Administration program at Seoul National University (SNU), South Korea’s top-ranked university.
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