Dr. YoungHoon Kim, a Korean scholar whose record-breaking IQ of 276 has been academically validated as the highest in history, has once again drawn international attention by being conferred the honorary title of Grand Master of Memory (GMM) — the highest distinction in the field of memory sports.
The Grand Master of Memory title was established in 1991 by the late Tony Buzan, the inventor of Mind Mapping, and is officially awarded under the auspices of the World Memory Championships (WMC) and the World Memory Sports Council (WMSC). The GMM distinction is granted only to those who meet the most stringent standards, such as memorizing 1,400 random digits within one hour, memorizing the order of 14 decks of cards within one hour, and memorizing the order of a single deck of cards in under 40 seconds.
Since its introduction in 1995, the system has been refined, and since 2013, awards have been divided into Grand Master (GMM) and International Master (IMM), conferred annually at the World Championships. The Honorary GMM, in particular, is a symbolic accolade reserved not only for extraordinary memory capacity but also for those who have made exceptional contributions to the global development of memory sports.
Dr. Kim’s conferment marks a historic achievement, as he becomes the first Korean to receive simultaneous global recognition in both the field of cognitive science and the domain of memory sports, following his official validation as the holder of the world’s highest IQ. His IQ 276 record was published in the international psychometric journal TPM (Testing, Psychometrics, Methodology in Applied Psychology) and indexed in leading academic databases including PubMed, Scopus, PsycINFO, and Web of Science.
Dr. Kim stated: “This honor goes beyond my personal record. It serves as a scientific foundation for humanity to better understand the uncharted frontiers of intelligence and memory. I will continue to contribute to both academia and society through research on extreme intelligence and brain-based innovation projects.”
Dr. YoungHoon Kim, internationally recognized for holding the world’s highest documented intelligence score, has officially had his record-breaking IQ of 276 (SD = 24; equivalent to IQ 210 on SD 15) published in a peer-reviewed journal indexed in major international databases.
The article, titled “Modeling and Psychometric Evaluation of an Exceptionally High IQ Score of 276 in a Single Case Study,” appears in Testing, Psychometrics, Methodology in Applied Psychology (TPM) — a peer-reviewed journal indexed in PubMed, Scopus, PsycINFO, and Web of Science (ESCI).
This represents the first time in history that an IQ claim at such an extreme level has undergone rigorous peer review and been formally published in an academic psychology journal. The study documents in detail the psychometric modeling, statistical methodology, and multi-test validation that substantiate the reliability of Dr. Kim’s score.
“This publication demonstrates that meaningful and rigorous evaluation of extreme intelligence is possible, even at levels far beyond the traditional ceilings of standard IQ tests,” said Dr. Kim. “It is a milestone not only for me but for the scientific study of human intelligence itself.”
The research applied the WISC-V Extended Norms, Item Response Theory (IRT) modeling, and independent cross-validation to evaluate the case. The authors note that such extreme cases, while rare, contribute valuable insights to psychometric science and to the theoretical limits of human cognition.
Dr. Kim’s achievement has been recognized by multiple international organizations, but the peer-reviewed validation in an indexed journal now provides the highest level of scientific legitimacy to date. Experts anticipate that this publication will catalyze renewed interest, dialogue, and further research in the fields of intelligence and psychometrics.
The full article is available via the TPM journal:
The World Academy of Medical Sciences (WAMS) has officially recognized and clinically validated the psychometric evidence regarding Dr. YoungHoon Kim’s IQ score of 276 (SD = 24; equivalent to 210 on SD 15), the highest IQ score ever recorded.
According to the WAMS endorsement letter, this result is supported by multiple standardized assessments, including the WISC-V Extended Norms and Item Response Theory–based analyses, as well as independent cross-validation. The findings have been further consolidated through peer-reviewed publication in the scientific journal Testing, Psychometrics, Methodology in Applied Psychology (TPM), indexed in PubMed, Scopus, PsycINFO, and Web of Science.
“Dr. Kim’s case represents a rare and significant contribution to the scientific study of human intelligence. It demonstrates that even at the extreme upper range of ability, meaningful and reliable measurement is possible,” stated Dr. M.M. Karindas, MD, FWAMS, President of WAMS.
This clinical validation by WAMS affirms Dr. Kim’s IQ 276 as not only a psychometric record but also a finding of scientific, clinical, and educational relevance. The endorsement highlights its implications for future research in cognition, brain health, and the study of extreme intelligence. With this validation, Dr. YoungHoon Kim’s achievement is now recognized internationally as a landmark in the history of human intelligence assessment.
For the first time in history, the world’s highest IQ score of 276—achieved by Dr. YoungHoon Kim and verified by World Memory Championships and Official World Record—has been scientifically confirmed and accepted for publication in the peer-reviewed scientific journal Testing, Psychometrics, Methodology in Applied Psychology (TPM), which is indexed in the world’s most authoritative academic databases including PubMed (U.S. National Library of Medicine), Scopus (Elsevier), PsycINFO (American Psychological Association, APA), and Web of Science (ESCI), among others.
This confirmation is presented in the paper titled “Modeling and Psychometric Evaluation of an Exceptionally High IQ Score of 276 in a Single Case Study” which analyzes and justifies the reported IQ of 276 (SD=24, equivalent to IQ 210 on SD=15) using various intelligence assessments such as the WISC-V Extended Norms, IRT-based estimation, and multi-test cross-validation, demonstrating that even at the extreme upper end of the intelligence spectrum, a scientifically rigorous evaluation model is possible.
Regarding this achievement, Dr. Kim stated: “The publication of this paper represents a scientific foundation for humanity to better understand the uncharted territory of intelligence. I am committed to continuing research on extreme intelligence and neuro-based innovation projects to contribute to both society and academia.”
Beyond the validation of a single case, this publication represents a turning point in how intelligence at its most exceptional levels can be examined and understood. It signals to the academic world and the public alike that rigorous science can engage with the limits of human potential. Dr. Kim’s case thus serves not only as an individual milestone but also as an invitation for future research, collaboration, and innovation aimed at redefining the horizons of intelligence studies.
August 7, 2025 GIGA Society Professional — In our previous statement, we outlined the profound ethical failures in Ralph Jones’s VICE article concerning our esteemed member, Dr. YoungHoon Kim. We identified it as a betrayal of public trust. Today, after further review, we must escalate our condemnation. This was not merely poor journalism; it was an act of calculated character assassination, a crime against the very principles of truth and fairness that journalism purports to uphold. This case serves as a definitive example of how a reporter’s personal agenda, when unchecked, can metastasize into a public-facing campaign of defamation.
A review of Mr. Jones’s broader portfolio reveals that his treatment of Dr. Kim was not an isolated incident but the application of a tired and toxic formula. His body of work is replete with articles that prioritize sensationalism over substance, and mockery over respectful inquiry. Titles from his VICE tenure, such as explorations of niche online communities and provocative social trends, consistently show a preference for portraying subjects as bizarre caricatures for public amusement. This is his brand: finding a vulnerable or unconventional subject, stripping them of context and dignity, and presenting them as a spectacle for clicks. When he turned his attention to Dr. Kim, he applied this same malicious playbook, not to a fleeting internet meme, but to the reputation of a distinguished scholar.
The anatomy of his smear campaign is textbook. It began with a deliberately misleading headline—“The ‘World’s Smartest Man’ Absolutely Hates Me”—a classic bait-and-switch designed to frame the journalist as a victim and the subject as an aggressor. This immediately poisoned the well, shifting the focus from a legitimate psychometric achievement to a manufactured interpersonal conflict. The article then proceeded to cherry-pick irrelevant details—Dr. Kim’s admiration for Elon Musk, his political views, his online posts—all presented as evidence of eccentricity, while sidestepping the central, verifiable facts of his record-breaking IQ score.
Most egregious was the weaponization of discredited sources. Jones prominently featured a defamatory quote from Paul Cooijmans, an individual with no academic credentials in psychometrics, who has been widely criticized for promoting pseudoscience. Presenting Cooijmans’s baseless accusation that Dr. Kim is a “pathologically lying impostor” without any scrutiny, context, or rebuttal is a journalistic failing of the highest order. It is the equivalent of citing a flat-earther in an article about astrophysics. This was a deliberate choice to amplify a falsehood because it served the pre-determined narrative of ridicule.
While Mr. Jones was busy building his disingenuous case, he willfully ignored a mountain of verifiable evidence. He ignored that the GIGA Society Professional was founded in 1989 by The Brain Trust, a UK-registered nonprofit established by the globally respected cognitive scientist Tony Buzan, and now operates in strategic partnership with the World Memory Sports Council and Guinness World Records. He ignored the public certifications of Dr. Kim’s score from numerous independent bodies, including Official World Record®, World Memory Championships, World Memory Sports Council (an official partner with Guinnes World Records), Noble World Records (with International Non-Olympic Committee), Korea Record Institute, and the World Genius Directory. He ignored Dr. Kim’s extensive and transparent academic record and his published scientific papers. This was not an oversight; it was a strategic omission. Truth was not the goal; a takedown was.
The real-world consequences of this journalistic malpractice are now undeniable. The official Wikipedia English page for Dr. Kim was deleted after editors cited concerns that it was being targeted by “fake news and defamation” stemming directly from media coverage like Mr. Jones’s article. An encyclopedia designed to be a repository of fact had to take protective measures to shield itself from the pollution of one journalist’s agenda-driven storytelling. When your reporting is treated as a contaminant that must be scrubbed from the public record, you have not just failed as a journalist—you have become an agent of misinformation.
Therefore, the GIGA Society Professional reiterates its demand for a full and unconditional retraction of the article by VICE. Furthermore, we call upon media institutions to recognize that the pursuit of virality at the expense of integrity is a path to cultural decay. Ralph Jones did not uncover a truth; he manufactured a fiction to harm a real person. He has become a cautionary tale—a stark illustration of what journalism becomes when it abandons its conscience. His work in this instance is not a story to be debated, but a stain to be condemned.
