[Exclusive] Once Dominant, South Korea's Science Olympiad Faces Sharp Decline in Applicants and Performance 'Red Alert'

Science Creativity Foundation Reports Significant Drop in Applicants for 9 Subjects
Steady Decline Since Exclusion from 2014 College Admissions
Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic and Changes in Gifted Education

2018 International Mathematical Olympiad Opening Ceremony. Archive photo not related to the article.

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-su] A (18), who loved studying physics since childhood, gave up his dream of participating in the International Physics Olympiad. This was due to his parents' discouragement, saying it was a 'waste of time' since it was not reflected in university admissions.

The number of Korean gifted students dominating the International Science Olympiads is rapidly decreasing. This trend began when, starting in 2014, extracurricular achievements such as International Science Olympiad awards were no longer allowed to be included in university admission self-introduction essays.

According to the Korea Foundation for the Advancement of Science and Creativity on the 13th, the number of high school students applying for the selection process to participate in nine International Science Olympiad categories, including mathematics, physics, and chemistry, has dropped to less than half in recent years. In chemistry, the number of applicants reached 600 to 700 before 2014, but after the ban on reflecting these achievements in university admissions, it fell to 393 in 2015 and 129 in 2020. In response, the Korean Chemical Society, which oversees player selection, switched to a method where all students wishing to participate in education are trained online for a certain period before selecting trainees to send as players.

The mathematics category shows a similar pattern. The number of applicants was 924 in 2011 but decreased to 698 in 2014 when awards could no longer be used in university admissions, and further dropped to 240 last year. Physics also had 648 applicants in 2011, 772 in 2012, and 861 in 2016, maintaining 600 to 800 applicants annually, but the number declined to 629 in 2019, 474 in 2020, and 343 last year, less than half the previous numbers. Biology had 300 to 400 applicants in the 2010s but dropped to 190 last year, nearly half. Earth science also decreased from 300 to 500 applicants to 189 last year, and the Physics Tournament fell sharply from 460 in 2011 to 139 last year. Other subjects such as informatics, astronomy, and secondary science have also seen significant declines in applicants recently.

The foundation believes that a combination of factors, including the exclusion of these achievements from university records, changes in gifted education policies, and the COVID-19 pandemic, have contributed to this trend. From the applicants' perspective, the merit of participating in overseas competitions and competing with foreign students disappeared, leading to fewer applications. Since these achievements are not reflected in admission scores, participation has shifted to a small group of 'enthusiasts.' Additionally, the previous government's policy to expand the base of gifted education made the International Science Olympiad, which is seen as elite training for a select few, less favored. In particular, for some subjects, the uncertainty of holding competitions after 2019 due to the pandemic and the subsequent large-scale shift to online formats had a significant impact.

The problem is that with the sharp decline in applicants, South Korea's performance, which had dominated the Science Olympiads by winning team championships in 4 to 5 subjects annually, is now at risk. This year, South Korea did not win a team championship in any of the nine subjects. This is the third 'humiliation' following 2018 and 2020 since 2015.

Senior Researcher Park Su-jin of the Foundation's Science Talent Development Team explained, "In response to the recent sharp decline in applicants, we are discussing with each academic society to broaden access opportunities for player selection and increase pre-education courses like the Chemical Society. We are also trying to ease regulations to allow these achievements to be recorded in student records." She added, "Although the number of first-place team wins has decreased, since the competition is essentially individual, considering the number of gold medals, overall performance does not seem to have declined yet. However, there appears to be greater variance among individual players."