All students on South Korea's team competing at the International Earth Science Olympiad won medals.

South Korea's Ministry of Science and ICT and the Korea Foundation for the Advancement of Science and Creativity said on Aug. 28 that all 4 members of the South Korean delegation won medals at the 19th International Earth Science Olympiad (IESO) held in Turin, Italy from Aug. 20 to 27.

The International Earth Science Olympiad consists of 3 categories: an individual written test, the International Team Field Investigation (ITFI) and the Earth System Project (ESP). This year's competition drew 169 students from 41 countries. South Korea was represented by Gong Yun-woo (공윤우), a third-year student at Gyeongnam Science High School, Na Hyo-chan (나효찬), a second-year student at Gwangju Science High School, Park Jae-sung (박재성), a third-year student at Gyeongnam Science High School, and Seo Ha-jin (서하진), a second-year student at Gyeongsan Science High School.

In the individual written test, Na won a gold medal and Seo won a silver medal. Gong and Park each won bronze, meaning every member of the South Korean team took home a medal.

The individual written test was split into theory and practical components. In the theory exam, students solved problems by analysing information across 5 topics related to the Earth system. In the practical exam, they directly observed and analysed minerals and rocks, rivers and outcrops in and around Turin.

South Korean students also posted strong results in the International Team Field Investigation, in which teams of 6 to 7 students from different countries work together. The teams including Park and Seo each won silver, while the teams including Gong and Na each received bronze.

In the Earth System Project, which addressed glacier melt and the climate crisis, the team including Na won gold and the team including Gong won silver.

Park Young-shin (박영신), head of the Korea Earth Science Olympiad Committee, said, "I hope that, building on this competition experience, the students will grow into global talents who lead the field of Earth science."

Following the International Earth Science Olympiad, the South Korean delegation is set to compete in the International Science Olympiad in astronomy and astrophysics from Sept. 25 to Oct. 5 and in a competition in secondary science from Dec. 2 to 9.