On the December 17 broadcast of tvN’s talk show, Kim Seol appeared as a second-year middle school student and openly shared the secrets behind her academic success. The actress-turned-student revealed that she completed five consecutive years at a gifted education institute, a feat that surprised both viewers and the hosts.
Kim Seol explained that she was admitted through the convergence invention track, while her older brother Kim Gyeom currently attending a science high school entered through the math and science track. She added that she had passed the gifted education institute exams every year starting from third grade.
When asked by Yoo Jae Suk whether her parents pushed her hard to study, Kim Seol replied calmly, “They actually didn’t say much about studying.” Instead, she pointed to a surprisingly simple factor behind her strong academic focus.
“I got my phone late,” she said. “Most of my friends got smartphones as soon as they entered elementary school, but I only got one when I became an upper grader.” With fewer distractions, she naturally turned to books.
She also shared that reading her older brother’s hand-me-down books played a big role in developing her language skills, saying, “I think that helped improve my vocabulary and reading comprehension.”
Kim Seol went on to describe her unique memorization techniques. For rote subjects, she walks around the classroom in circles, reciting material in a steady rhythm. She even turns historical facts into song lyrics. “When I was studying China’s Sui Dynasty and ‘Supernova’ was popular, I matched the key points about Emperor Yang to the song’s lyrics,” she explained, impressing viewers with her creativity.
Notably, Kim Seol revealed that she barely attends private academies. “I tried going to a hagwon once in elementary school, but it didn’t suit me at all. My grades actually dropped,” she said. Currently, the only extracurricular activity she pursues is learning the haegeum as a hobby.
Instead, she relies on self-study. “I usually start studying around 4 or 5 p.m. after dinner, and during exam periods, I study until 11 p.m. On normal days, I finish around 8,” she shared.
Her reading method also stood out. Kim Seol underlines texts so thoroughly that the page almost turns black. “When you underline that much, you end up reading very carefully and naturally identifying what’s important in each sentence,” she said, showing the discipline of a true top student.
Once known as the adorable youngest member of Reply 1988, Kim Seol is now earning praise for her maturity, self-directed learning, and academic excellence—proving that her talents extend far beyond the screen.
Sources: Sports Seoul,tvN
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