The brainiacs among us — stars with high IQs
by javabeans
After it became known that announcer Han Joon Ho is a member of Mensa — the group open only to those with high IQs (specifically, those who score above the 98th percentile on standardized IQ tests) — interest arose in the topic of celebrity IQs.
For reference, the average IQ is 100, although the range can be extended to include 90 through 109. (110-119 is superior intelligence, 120-140 is very superior, and above 140 is generally known as genius level. Conversely, 80-89 is in the “dull” range, 70-79 is borderline deficient, and under 70 is considered “feeble-minded.”) And yes, I know IQ can be considered an outdated standard of measurement.
Now, some of these names are familiar, but some are a bit surprising. Goong‘s Kim Jung Hoon, a smarty? Whoaaa. Not that he seemed, well, un-smart, but I’m a little surprised.
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Announcer Han Joon Ho, rapper-actor Tablo
Looking at other public figures with high IQs, Joy News turned up KBS reporter Ryu Shi Hyun, another Mensa member with a reported IQ of 160.
The SBS show host Shin Dong Yeob startled with the revelation that his IQ measured 139. Another MC and comedian Kim Yong Man is reported to have an IQ of 143.
Pop singer Hong Kyung Min admitted that his IQ, back when tested in his school days, was 148, and Infinity Challenge‘s Jung Joon Ha‘s measured 140.
Epik High rapper and Stanford University graduate Tablo has an IQ of over 150.
Ahn Jae Hwan, who attended Seoul University, has an IQ nearing 150.
Another of Seoul University’s most famous graduates is Kim Tae Hee; she and pop singer and Goong star Kim Jung Hoon both measure in with IQs surpassing 140.
Singer Hong Kyung Min, announcer Ryu Shi Hyun, comedian-MC Jung Joon Ha
Comedians Kim Yong Man, Ahn Jae Hwan, Shin Dong Yeob
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Tags: Kim Jung-hoon, Kim Tae-hee, Tablo
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1 cowmeisterr
January 27, 2008 at 1:47 PM
the zshare link doesnt work T_T goes to stupid zwinky download oh and i love this website =D
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2 sweetanna
January 27, 2008 at 1:51 PM
I don't usually post here, although I try to keep up with your amusing summaries javabeans (komawoyo btw)....but I had to respond to this one...
The funny thing about this news for me is that when my brother first saw a picture of Kim Jung Hoon the first thing he said was that he looked smart. So till now my brother and I refer to him not by his name but as "the smart guy".
funny, huh?
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3 Jane
January 27, 2008 at 1:54 PM
I always thought that Tablo was pretty smart.
I guess I have proof now! ^-^
I had no idea Kim Tae Hee graduated from Seoul University.
cool
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4 George
January 27, 2008 at 2:19 PM
I remember learning in General Psychology that IQ is no longer a good measure of intelligence. Not to say that these people aren't smart, but their IQs shouldn't be causing such a huge fuss.
But then again, Koreans seem to love empirical "proof" of intelligence! (as well as "brand name" colleges and universities. But, heureusement, my grandmother now knows of at least one other university other than Harvard...since, I didn't go to Harvard)
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5 OldSchool
January 27, 2008 at 3:17 PM
Interesting list
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6 M
January 27, 2008 at 4:16 PM
I read that Lee Byung Hun has an IQ of 155. Does this high level of intelligence translate into success?
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7 Miki
January 27, 2008 at 4:20 PM
Kim Jung Hoo's IQ is really high!!
~__~ I took some IQ test awhile back and my IQ is only about 130....XD And I'm considered pretty smart around my peers. So these celebrities are really really just too much! They have to be good looking, talented (well, some of them) and smart too?! God isn't fair.
Tablo comes as no surprise to me. Didn't he go to Standford?
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8 jaime
January 27, 2008 at 5:07 PM
aww. its a shame that Tablo is not really using his intelligence.. no offense. but he can be some chemist finding the cure for cancer.
and im not surprised Kim Jung Hoon is smart. i saw this show once.. where you compete.. and you do calculus problems. and he won it! its not the easy calc but actually hard stuff. ^^
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9 Nicole
January 27, 2008 at 6:36 PM
wooht wooht... go tablo!!! =D
not really surprised that he's on the list but it just makes me respect him even more...he's so adorable...like the dorky kinda cute!!!
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10 Kikari
January 27, 2008 at 7:29 PM
Uwahhh Tablo is so smart! ^^
Tablo has a "Bachelor's Degree and Master's Degree in English Literature and Creative Writing, respectively from Stanford University" -from wikipedia-
heheh I love his glasses ;3
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11 vrosemarie
January 27, 2008 at 7:55 PM
Yeah, I knew Kim Jung Hoon gave on a degree for dentistry so he had to have some brains for that... Is education for a celebrity that important? It generates respect from the public but they don't really put it to good use anyway unless they channel all that genius into creative thinking for entertainment purposes or self expression... Kim Jung Hoon and Tablo are cuties!
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12 Linda
January 27, 2008 at 8:19 PM
yea i definitely think KJH is smart
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13 Javabeans
January 27, 2008 at 8:44 PM
Is anyone else having trouble with zshare? The link works for me. cowmeisterr, you may have to click on a link at the top to bypass the ad page, which sometimes appears.
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14 loveactually
January 27, 2008 at 9:21 PM
i knew Tablo was quite smart, but I never knew that he was this exceedingly intelligent! over 150.....? Not that I am saying that being in the entertainment industry is unworthy of people with high intelligence, but dont you think it's a waste for Tablo with his IQ of over 150 to be a rapper/actor (yes i know its his passion....but still)? music can touch people's lives but science and math affect far more.
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15 Javabeans
January 27, 2008 at 9:28 PM
Hmm... Someone with a high level of verbal facility may or may not have an equally high proficiency in science or math... so it's quite possible that Tablo, had he decided not to be a rapper/songwriter, would be little help to the scientific community. Not knockin' him, just saying that his career choice doesn't strike me as a waste.
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16 moodyhap
January 27, 2008 at 9:37 PM
It's funny, for them being a member of Mensa means they are extremely intelligent. In Spanish, mensa is the femenine form of dumb. hahahaha.
I'm not surprised about Tablo, Jung Joon Ha on the other hand I wasn't expecting.
That just goes to say, 'never judge a book by it's cover'.
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17 incarnadine
January 27, 2008 at 9:48 PM
I wasn't surprised about KTH, KJH and Tablo... but Jung Joon Ha?!? Wow!!! ^_^
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18 Carina
January 27, 2008 at 10:15 PM
I like how this proves that a high IQ doesn't translate to (acting) skills. :)
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19 keiko04
January 27, 2008 at 10:57 PM
Shin Dong Yup... that's just really cool. 8D I guess that's good enough an explanation why he's hosting Exploring the Human Body which I think is actually pretty educational. :]
Some of the people in this list really surprise me o_o This is a really interesting topic~
And Kim Jung Hoon was studying dentistry before he decided to enter the entertainment business, I believe. :)
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20 Carina
January 28, 2008 at 12:31 AM
Something else that surprises me about this is how in the world someone the level of Kim Jung Hoon starred in Witch Amusement. It seems to me like making a genius play a part in this horrendous drama is an insult akin to making a priest make a Jesus statue out of elephant dung.
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21 hellaakon
January 28, 2008 at 1:29 AM
Hmm...that's some interesting trivia to me. I'll take it all with a grain of salt...but nice to know anyways.
The only people I knew beforehand with high IQs were Tablo and Kim Jung Hoon.
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22 kriza09
January 28, 2008 at 6:30 AM
@loveactually -> "music can touch people’s lives but science and math affect far more."
not really. i have an IQ of 141 (even though i'm only at the bottom range but yay, i'm genius!!! lol) and i'm a chemeng major in uc berkeley. i don't think i can go farther than working my a$$ off at someone else's company trying to make money for myself... and i don't think having high IQs equals success. at the end success will only come to those who have worked hard and diligently..
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23 heyleadinglady
January 28, 2008 at 7:36 AM
I love Shin Dong Yeob, he's one the funniest comedians around :) I'm glad he's smart
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24 tooizzy
January 28, 2008 at 9:28 AM
I heard that EQ (Emotional Intelligence) is more important to your success than IQ. While you can't improve your IQ, you can certainly improve on your EQ.
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25 tealeaf
January 28, 2008 at 11:26 AM
tooizzy, i totally agree with you, though i think you can change your IQ over time.
IMO, those numbers are trivial if you can't apply and translate your intelligence into something that is positive. Many of the Mensa members that i've known interestingly have failed to make significant contributions to our society. On the other hand, those who have affect incredible worthwhile changes to this world have done it without relying heavily on their (lack of) cerebral abilities.
loveactually, being analytically sound is overrated. Yes, we and the world are better because of the many advances in science, technology and medicine. However, i have the utmost respect for the arts and anyone with an English major. Have you ever experience the power of a good book?
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26 Blake
January 28, 2008 at 7:33 PM
yay for the humanities! i'm a humanities-oriented asian myself.
i knew about KJH before this post. oi, some people have everything.
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27
January 28, 2008 at 11:36 PM
majority of asian culture are obsessed with being book smart.
although i don't doubt some of these celebrities do have a high IQ, e.g. Tablo is very believable (being a stanford graduate and all), the rest, it's just funny how this article states that they either admitted or claimed in some show or interview.
there isn't really any proof except for the fact that they told us they have those IQ levels.
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28 jippo
January 29, 2008 at 11:35 AM
I don't know if I agree with the criticisms of the careers that these people have chosen...
But in any case, I would like to note that this article might be drawing so much attention because it is suggesting they may be more than just "entertainers" -- and one cannot deny that we do not hold those in the entertainment industry to as high a standard when it comes to intellect.
Also, those successful in their craft may not wholly attribute their rise to the top to their high IQ, but it would not be unreasonable to see that it would have certainly benefited them.
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29 jiameiliya
January 29, 2008 at 6:46 PM
really interesting.
I know tablo graduated from stanford, so he should be very smart.
that's cool...
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30 marcel
January 29, 2008 at 11:12 PM
tooizzy & tealeaf - you've given me hope! reading this article, i was wondering what i've done with my life... & thinking maybe God's been playing some crazy games yo.. why do some people get to be so beautiful & smart? but i have an english degree & i'm trying to get my master's while i speak.. so in pursuit of the arts & a sky high EQ.. here's to making a difference in the world..
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31 Charlo
January 30, 2008 at 5:30 PM
O_O WHAT?! Jung Joon Ha have 140? Now THAT'S a surprise! Ahah, quite a few people here I'm surprised to see.
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32
February 2, 2008 at 2:45 AM
I knew that Kim Tae Hee graduated from Seoul University but I didn't know that she had such a high IQ. Too bad that it doesn't seem to help her act...lol
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33 amareally
February 2, 2008 at 6:15 PM
Yes I heard that Kim Jong Hoon is smart. I think he solved a difficult math problem in a japanese TV show or something .. really wanted to see the clip if anyone knows the link ...
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34 elisa
February 3, 2008 at 8:40 AM
joonha's smart? LOL
well there's a first time for everything :D
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35 Sue
February 24, 2008 at 8:52 PM
HAHA Jung Joonha? I hope he bragged about this on Infinity Challenge! He's known as the 바보형, haha.
and yep kim junghoon
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36 rah
October 13, 2008 at 10:53 AM
According to some Korean friends, Kim Jung Hoon studied dentristy at Seoul National but dropped out as his entertainment career was starting to hit off
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37 Christine Cheng
January 28, 2009 at 3:45 PM
this makes me feel even more pathetic D:
but thats so cool...lol i always knew kim jung hoon was smart :]
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38 Alvina
February 1, 2009 at 9:32 AM
Jun Jin's (from Shinhwa) IQ is 140 as well...
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39 Tony
June 30, 2009 at 3:59 AM
Tablo's IQ is 180. He announced on a show when he was talking about how he used to joke with friends and tell them that his IQ was 180 ish. His friends made him take the test and he actually had an IQ of 180ish. Pretty amazing since he's a school dropout, then went back to Stanford.
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40 mynameisloopy
May 1, 2010 at 12:33 AM
Hey my IQ is (purportedly) 148 but I don't feel anything at all. I do very well in school but it doesn't make me special as so many others do well too without having to have a certificate on the wall of your room declaring you are -- INDEED -- a genius; so I agree that your IQ measurement won't take you as far as your EQ will in life. And having said IQ won't stop you from picking out silly nicknames for yourself either LOL!
You just have to look at Tablo and KJH to know they're brilliant. They just have that vibe, you know?
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41 John Doe
August 17, 2010 at 4:48 AM
Comment section is a good example of the Lake Wobegon effect. "People tell me I'm smart", "I took an online test and it said I was a genius", and so on.
Reminds me the narcissism of young girls. "People tell me I'm pretty", "Boys are so dumb, and I'm so smart".
:-)
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42 mary
November 6, 2010 at 10:34 AM
Why don't you see Kim Jung Hoon as a smarty? :)
I saw him in Princess Hours and Witch Yoo Hee and he 'felt' smart... unless he has a load of other films/series where he looks... err.. dumb?
@John Doe (comment #41) - nice comment. At least I learned something new today.
You're right, I've been searching for celebrity IQs and most of the blog posts I end up reading become a my-IQ-is-(some high score)-look-at-me comment fest.
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