How Three Young Students Built a Lifelong Intellectual Friendship

Three Korean physics students created their own version of Albert Einstein’s “Olympia Academy” without knowing the famous model existed. Their informal group had no official structure or grand purpose, but its free discussions helped shape their intellectual growth.

The author met Im Won-kyu in 1957, when both entered Seoul National University’s physics department. Im soon appeared at university with a shaved head, a striking choice at a time when students were growing their hair after years of compulsory haircuts. The author gradually became close to him, admiring his willingness to reject what he disliked while readily embracing what he valued.

Their backgrounds and temperaments differed. Im had grown up in Seoul and was one year older, while the author had grown up outside the capital and had less social experience. Im studied from a relatively secure position at his family home, whereas the author sometimes worked as a live-in tutor or stayed with relatives. Still, their shared interest in study brought them together. They often met at Im’s home in Sindang-dong, where academic criticism frequently gave way to discussions about society and everyday life.

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Hey, your brain is only good in one direction.

The author describes himself as cautiously progressive and Im as closer to rational conservatism. He pursued new ideas, while Im offered sympathy but also kept him anchored. A third friend, Woo Dae-sik, joined their discussions. The three sometimes held “seminars” in empty classrooms and bought cheap work clothes at Dongdaemun Market, outfits that made them look like a trio in prison uniforms. A university employee once quietly asked whether the author belonged to an organization.

Their conversations ranged freely across physics, philosophy, humanities and wider social questions. The author persuaded the group to study relativity before it was formally taught, while Im took an early interest in quantum chemistry and its practical applications. After graduating in 1961, the three separated for military service, graduate study and work, later continuing their studies in the United States. In 1969, the author visited Im in Chapel Hill while both were finishing doctoral work. When the author considered moving into molecular biology, Im replied, “There is plenty to do in physics too.” Both later received research offers from MIT, though the excerpt ends as Im leaves for the institute.

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There is plenty to do in physics too.