Who’s the smartest K-pop idol? Hallyu IQs ranked – from BTS member RM and Astro’s Cha Eun-woo to K-drama hottie Song Joong-ki
That’s right – a handful of our fave K-pop and K-drama stars boast ridiculously high intelligence quotient (IQ) scores (alongside their invariably jaw-dropping good looks.)
According to Healthline, only two per cent of people in the world have an IQ score above 130 – an elite category indeed. So just how many of these mini-Einsteins can be found among the Hallyu set?
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Epik High’s Tablo: 160
Daniel Armand Lee, aka Tablo, is not just a chart-topping rapper and recording artist, but a graduate of Stanford University. What’s even more remarkable is that he has an IQ as high as Stephen Hawking and Albert Einstein. Once when he was a guest on TVN’s Problematic Men, he was able to solve a brain-melting puzzle in less than 20 seconds.
Block B’s Park Kyung: 156
Park Kyung from boy group Block B comes from a family of geniuses; during an appearance on MBC’s Daehan Foreigner, he revealed that his elder sister is a renowned English teacher in South Korea.
According to The Korea Times, he was the first K-pop idol to become a member of Mensa, the largest high IQ society in the world. A maths prodigy, he also revealed on Daehan Foreigner that he attended a school for gifted students when he was in high school.
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Changmin from TVXQ: around 150
Changmin has not only collected hearts from fans thanks to his angelic voice, he has also accumulated degrees from prominent universities. According to SBS PopAsia, on the list are a postmodern music degree from Kyung Hee University, a film and arts degree from Konkuk University, and a master’s and PhD from Inha University. Broadcasting network Arirang International has hailed him as “the smartest K-pop star”.
RM of BTS: 148
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Kim Tae-hee: 148
Hani of Exid: 145
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Astro’s Cha Eun-woo: 142
Aside from being handsome (fans call him the “face-genius” of Astro), Cha Eun-woo has plenty of scholastic achievements too. Not only did he have excellent grades in elementary and middle school, he swept awards for English, writing and debate, was class president for a number of years, and was the captain of the football and basketball team too, he revealed on Problematic Men. On the show, he also spoke about his talent in computer programming and robotics, and according to various media reports, he plays several instruments, including the piano and flute. Talk about multitalented.
Song Joong-ki: 140
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Super Junior’s Kyuhyun: 130
A maths geek with a striking voice, Super Junior’s Kyuhyun is just as smart as he is talented in music. Ranking in the top five percentile of the maths aptitude test scores, he received an award from Korea’s science and technology minister for that accomplishment, he revealed on KBS 2TV’s Happy Together. According to Soompi, he also once bagged the grand prize in the Korean Mathematical Society’s Olympiads. He was accepted into Kyunghee University, one of Korea’s top universities.
2PM’s Ok Taec-yeon: 130
Aside from getting a perfect score in the TOEIC, he revealed on Twitter, 2PM’s Taecyeon also shared on an episode of Live Talk Show Taxi that he speaks Chinese, Japanese and Spanish. Before carving out a successful career as a K-pop idol and actor, he attended school in the US where he was an active member of the chess club and jazz band.
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- Long before starring in Netflix’s Vincenzo, Song Joong-ki graduated from the prestigious Sungkyunkwan University while 2PM’s Taecyeon is a notorious polyglot
- Exid’s Hani scored 900 out of 990 on the TOEIC after just two months of studying – and Block B’s Park Kyung was the first K-pop idol to get into Mensa