 |
| Scene from Lotte World Magic Parade |
The Korean JoonAng Daily reports this morning the label of genius is too often applied solely to those with skills in mathematics or music. There are, say the scientists who should know, geniuses amongst us in possession of varying skills but with that sufficient special something to categorize them as “geniuses.”
Consider the athlete with skills on par with Michael Jordan or Tiger Woods, say the scientists. How about those who love to paint, or write juvenile ramblings on a web page dedicated to, say, magic? (Okay, we added the one about painting).
Magicians can be geniuses too, you know. In fact, the paper offers the example of 13-year-old Hong Jin-seok. Like many boys and girls, he became interested in magic and hoped to one day perform in public. His mother hoped it was a fleeting interest and soon he would return to his school work and other pursuits.
“Later on, she cried as she watched her son, a primary school student; perform passionately in front of thousands of people. She felt her instincts were telling her that it was his destiny, although he was only a child.”
Starting at about the third grade, Master Jin-seok studied, practiced, ate slept, magic. You could see why his mother was worried. Kids need diversity in life — if he studied magic all of the time, what would become of him? How would he meet people in the real world? Where would he derive income sufficient to feed his family? Would any woman worthy of marrying into the family be interested in someone who lived only for magic?
Again, we are recalling conversations from our own family. It is entirely likely Master Jin-seok and his mother did not have this very discussion and if they did, it was probably in Korean.
Last summer, Master Jin-seok competed against the big guys at the beautiful Lotte World Magic Festival in Korea. Inside Magic’s good-friend and supporter Sergey Korbalev had a successful and lengthy engagement at this very theme park.
In the parlance of Professional Pancake Breakfast Workers, Master Jin-seok was “bubbled-up and ready for flippin.”
He received a special award for his innovative work. Unlike many young (and older) magicians, Master Jin-seok makes his own props and eschews store-bought items.
“I often stayed up until two or three [in the morning], not to practice but to make props.” says Master Jin-seok.
Despite his mother’s worries, Master Jin-seok is proud to report he is actually a very good student. He was elected class president and has performed well in classes.
The article ends with a touching scene:
“[Master] Jin-seok said to his mother, ‘Please support me,’ and ‘There is nothing but this in my life,’ so she finally acceded to his wishes and became a full-time sponsor. Asked about his aspirations, he did not say, “I want to become a magician like David Copperfield,” but instead he…
Continue reading Korean Paper: Genius in Children Evident in Magic
Recent Comments