The Person with the Highest IQ in History is Korean... Kim Younghoon with an IQ of 276

Ranked 1st at the 'World Memory Championship'
Previously Featured on 'Youngjae Balguldan' 9 Years Ago, Gaining Attention

Kim Young-hoon (35), who gained public attention nine years ago on SBS's 'Youngjae Discovery Team' for his high IQ, has been selected as the person with the highest IQ in history, with an IQ of 276.

The World Mind Sports Council recently announced on its website that "Kim Young-hoon was ranked number one worldwide with an IQ of 276 by the American magazine 'Reader's Digest'." The World Mind Sports Council is a global brain championship organization founded by Tony Buzan, the creator of mind maps. 'Reader's Digest' is a popular magazine established in the United States in 1922, published 10 times a year with various reading materials, and also has international editions published outside the U.S.

Korean Kim Young-hoon (35), selected as the person with the highest IQ in history [Image source: Screenshot from Kim Young-hoon's Instagram]

Kim also ranked first in IQ at the World Memory Championships, organized by the World Mind Sports Council. The World Memory Championships, which use relative evaluation, conduct multi-faceted competitive tests among pre-selected high-IQ individuals. For example, people with an IQ of 180 compete in a tournament format to determine the final winner, and during this process, participants' IQs are comprehensively assessed.

On the 9th, Kim posted on his Instagram, "I am honored to have been selected as number one among the 50 people with the highest IQs in history by 'Reader's Digest' this year," adding, "Although it is a heavy title, I am pleased to be able to promote South Korea to the world with a positive image." He continued, "I hope everyone reading this can take pride in being Korean and feel proud of South Korea." Previously, in another post, he said, "I am very honored to hold the world number one IQ title as a Korean," but also stated, "That does not mean I consider myself a genius. I am simply a highly intelligent person with a high IQ."

An article about Kim Young-hoon with an IQ of 276 featured in Reader's Digest
[Image source=Screenshot from Kim Young-hoon's Instagram]

In November last year, Kim was officially certified by the Korea Records Institute as the holder of the highest IQ record. He is also the only Korean member of the ultra-high intelligence organization 'Mega Society' and is listed as the world number one IQ holder in the World Genius Directory and the Gig Society. The previous record holder was Terence Tao, a Chinese-Australian professor, whose IQ was recorded as 230.

In 2015, when he was a university student, Kim gained attention as the third highest IQ in the world on SBS's 'Youngjae Discovery Team.' At that time, he memorized two randomly shuffled decks of poker cards (104 cards) in about 10 minutes. Kim graduated from Yonsei University with a degree in theology, completed a master's program in psychology and neuroscience at King's College London, and is currently attending a theological seminary in Korea to become a pastor. He is also active as the founder and CEO of the World Intelligence Association (USIA), which has over 100 official members including seven Nobel laureates and professors from world-renowned universities such as Harvard, Yale, and Princeton.