83-Year-Old 'Oldest Exam Candidate' Kim Jeongja from You Quiz Passes Sookmyung Women's University

Kim Jeong-ja, an 83-year-old lifelong learner who became a hot topic as the oldest candidate for the 2024 College Scholastic Ability Test, has become a student at Sookmyung Women’s University.

Grandmother Kim Jeong-ja [Photo by Yu Quiz, captured from YouTube]

On the 25th, Sookmyung Women’s University announced that Kim Jeong-ja, born in 1941, will enroll as a freshman majoring in Social Welfare at the Future Education Institute of Sookmyung Women’s University for the 2024 academic year. Despite being nearly eighty years old, Kim is a lifelong learner who studied from Hangul to middle and high school courses and took the 2024 CSAT.

Previously, Kim gained attention as a lifelong learner in Class 1, 6th grade at Yangwon Elementary School when she appeared on the tvN variety show "You Quiz on the Block" (You Quiz) in 2019. She appeared again on You Quiz last December after four years to share that she had become the oldest candidate for the 2024 CSAT.

On the show, she expressed her desire to attend the Department of English Language and Literature at Sookmyung Women’s University, saying, "My granddaughter graduated from Sookmyung Women’s University and often boasted that her school was the best. So I want to go too." However, she added, "After receiving my report card, my grades were better than I expected, but it seems a bit difficult to get into the English Literature department at Sookmyung. I will apply to the Social Welfare department at the Lifelong Education Institute instead."

She also shared her goal, saying, "My grandson and granddaughter live in the United States and don’t know Hangul well. I want to learn English to communicate with them. Although I am old, I think I can do it if I work hard."

Grandmother Kim Jeong-ja and Sookmyung Women's University officials [Photo by Sookmyung Women's University]

On the 22nd, Sookmyung Women’s University President Jang Yoon-geum invited Kim to the campus ahead of her enrollment and presented her with a scholarship certificate and an honorary student ID. The university plans to provide a scholarship for one year to support Kim’s studies. Additionally, to help Kim achieve her goal of conversing in English with her grandchildren overseas, the university plans to offer systematic English education support.

At the meeting with President Jang, Kim reportedly said, "I intend not to put down my pencil as long as my health permits." She also said, "I plan to study harder after enrolling in March, but since I am old, my grades might not be very good. Even though I will forget things often, I still plan to attend diligently."

Meanwhile, Kim Jeong-ja attracted attention as a citizen representative at the New Year’s Eve bell-ringing ceremony marking the start of 2024, recognized for embodying the precious value that "it is never too late to learn," inspiring many with courage and hope.

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