This study was designed to compare the understanding of ordinary elementary school students and scientifically gifted students about scientists. 473 fourth, fifth, and sixth graders in ordinary elementary schools and 40 students attending scientific educational institutions for the gifted were studied with the help of questionnaires and interviews. The survey showed that there were no significant differences between the two subject groups in relation to the external images of scientists. The subjects turned out to have low fixed external images. The scientifically gifted students had a better understanding of the internal images of scientists than ordinary elementary school students. Both the subject groups fumed out to be influenced by the press media and off-campus education, thinking that scientists served as inventors producing something useful in daily lift rather than as researchers studying natural phenomena or laws. It was found out that both groups admired Edison. The ordinary students respected Einstein and Jang Yeong-Sil whereas the scientifically gifted students respected Curie, Jug Yeong-Sil, and Nobel. The subjects admired them because of their achievements instead of their backgrounds or individual characteristics.