"H.O.T. ga mwojyo?" The First Perfect Scorer on the College Entrance Exam Who Left a Famous Quote, Amazing Recent News

Scored a Perfect 400 on the 1999 CSAT
Entered Seoul National University Physics Department, Graduated Early, Then Studied Abroad
Currently on Tenure Track at UC San Diego

Seung-eun Oh, the first perfect scorer on the Korean SAT who left behind the legendary quote "What is H.O.T.?", has revealed her recent updates.

The first perfect scorer of the CSAT, Oh Seung-eun.
[Photo by tvN 'You Quiz on the Block']

On the 3rd, Seung-eun Oh appeared on tvN's 'You Quiz on the Block' and shared stories about her perfect score on the Korean SAT, her studies after entering Seoul National University’s Department of Physics, her experience studying abroad at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and her current status.

Previously, Oh achieved a perfect score on the 1999 Korean SAT while attending Hansung Science High School in Seoul. She was the first perfect scorer in 30 years since the national college entrance exams began with the 1968 preliminary test. In particular, her remarks "There was no question I didn’t know" and "What is H.O.T.?" have been remembered as 'perfect scorer quotes' and are still talked about today.

The first perfect scorer on the CSAT, Oh Seung-eun.
[Photo by tvN 'You Quiz on the Block']

In response, Yoo Jae-suk warmly greeted her, saying, "Even if I don’t know anything else, I know this. Isn’t 'What is H.O.T.?' a legendary quote?" Oh replied with a smile, "Now I know. They are the pioneers of Korean K-pop history."

Regarding the statement "There was no question I didn’t know," Oh clarified, "I didn’t say it exactly like that. It was more in the context of 'Was there anything I didn’t know?' I was confident about all the answers except for one question, which I didn’t mark."

As for the 'What is H.O.T.?' remark, she said, "I don’t know why it became known that way. I never actually said that. I knew how great H.O.T. was, and I think the context was misunderstood. I think the question was whether I liked them, and I just said, 'I know they are amazing, and my friends sing their songs at karaoke, but I don’t know them well.' I apologize to all the members of H.O.T.," which brought laughter.

On December 15, 1998, Oh Seung-eun from Hansung Science High School, who achieved a perfect score of 400 for the first time in the 1999 College Scholastic Ability Test, is seen smiling at home with her parents.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

After the 'H.O.T. remark,' she entered Seoul National University’s Department of Physics in 1999. At that time, it was common to assume that a perfect scorer would naturally go to medical school, but she chose physics because of a letter from a friend. The letter said, "Someone as good at studying as you should pursue pure science at the forefront of human knowledge." Her conviction about physics remained unchanged even after achieving a perfect score on the SAT.

Oh graduated early from Seoul National University’s Department of Physics in three and a half years. She then went to study abroad at MIT in 2003. The funds for her studies came from the book 'Seung-eun Oh’s SAT Notes,' which she compiled herself during her senior year winter break. Oh said, "I received royalties that were really beyond what I deserved. It was an unimaginable amount for a high school student."

Regarding her life at MIT, she said, "It was a turning point that allowed me to escape being a 'frog in a well.' If I had stayed only in Korea, I might have thought I was great, but seeing more outstanding people in the bigger world helped me grow." She added, "I could have passed the classes in one or two years, but it took seven years to solve a hypothesis proposed by a professor in one research lab. At first, I thought it would take about six months, but it took seven years to prove that the hypothesis was wrong, and that’s when I graduated." Her research topic at the time was "Label-free optical measurement of neural cell action potentials."

Seung-eun Oh, the first perfect scorer on the CSAT, revealed that she is currently on the tenure track at UC San Diego.
[Photo by tvN 'You Quiz on the Block']

After receiving her Ph.D. from MIT in 2010, Oh moved to Harvard Medical School, where she worked as a researcher studying biophysics for seven years. In 2013, she published a paper in the world-renowned scientific journal 'Nature' that revealed the principle by which growth plate cartilage cells lengthen bones.

Oh is currently on the tenure track at UC San Diego. Tenure is a system that guarantees lifetime employment for university professors. The tenure track is the process of being appointed as an assistant professor and undergoing evaluation to become a tenured professor. Oh said, "I am conducting research that mixes physics and biology about half and half."

Oh added, "I don’t study things I don’t want to do either. Even now, I’m on a path to find what’s fun, and maintaining that fun is important," expressing her hope that "interest in science will increase."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.