In August the Fifth Memory Contest of University Students was held in the DPRK, divided into ten categories including binary number memory, speed number memory and random word memory. The contest drew close attention of educators and students of the higher education sector across the country, as it brought together the high scorers at the seventh memory contest of students of the universities and colleges responsible for training teachers and other events that had taken place earlier.

In the fifth contest the first place was taken by Kim Il Hun from Kim Hyong Jik University of Education.

Kim hails from Sariwon, North Hwanghae Province. From his childhood he preferred reading and thinking to sports as he had a weak constitution. It was in the days when he was attending a foreign language school that he made a foray into speed reading.

One day, an instructor in charge of the speed reading group of his school asked him to try speed reading, following in his sister’s footsteps.

He agreed and joined the group. Eventually he qualified for the 10th national memory and speed reading contest of the students of middle schools No.1 and foreign language schools held that year.

Those days his sister who was attending Kim Hyong Jik University of Education was back home spending her vacation. When she came to know that he was to attend the contest, she welcomed the news. As she was also a member of the speed reading group of her university, she taught him the principles of speed reading with pleasure.

Afterwards on, he made painstaking efforts to get well-versed in the speed reading skills, and finally took the first place in the contest.

Even after he was enrolled at the university, he continued with speed reading.

But he found it difficult to memorize playing cards. In 2019 his sister came first at the 28th World Memory Championships. She helped him in every possible way, but her method didn’t work on him effectively.

Looking back upon those days, he said that he believes that one must create the memory skills that fit him or her and that only those who find out such skills can be successful.

By applying the logic thinking, one of his merits, he found out his method at last.

He made his debut at the Fourth Memory Contest of University Students at which he took the fifth place. Not dispirited by the result, he worked harder, thus winning the first place twice at the memory contests held this year.

“He is purposeful, assiduous and highly intelligent. He takes his teacher’s guidance with a serious attitude. While in training, he has his own view. He is highly inclined to accept the teacher’s explanation in relation with his view. His next target is to win a world memory championship,” said the head of the speed reading section of the university.

Kim Ye Ryong