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| Jung Sun Park, M.D. (left), and Ha Young Kim, M.D., at last week’s press conference. In reading the family’s statement about the death of their son, Byung Soo Kim, following his consumption of a large quantity of alcohol in a short period of time, Dr. Jung Sun Park emphasized that they wish to have the incident serve as a lesson for others. ‘It is our heartfelt desire that the entire community can learn a lesson from this tragedy and reach out to those who need help,’ she said. Photo by Martin Vloet, U-M Photo Services |
We hope that all who knew and loved our son will remember him as selfless, supportive, considerate, loving and kind. He had brought great joy to us and was a loyal friend to many.
We would like to emphasize that this incident does not represent our son’s usual behavior; he did not drink regularly and according to his friends was often the one to take care of friends who had had too much to drink.
It is our heartfelt desire that the entire community can learn a lesson from this tragedy and reach out to those who need help. We hope to establish a fund in our son’s memory that will serve international students with education and assistance on substance issues.
When his father was a visiting scientist at the U-M in the late 1980s, Byung Soo developed a fond association with the University and Ann Arbor, which is why he came back to pursue his studies.
Our son was a sincere, diligent student and was passionate about helping others and hoped to one day use his gifts for that purpose. He was also proud of his Korean heritage and was an active participant in Korean traditional music ensembles and the Korean International Student Association. He also enjoyed music, movies and sports with his friends.
Besides ourselves, Byung Soo will be remembered by his entire family: his two grandfathers and grandmother, three uncles, six aunts and 17 cousins. Please join us in honoring his memory and helping others learn from this tragic loss.
We ask that the media please respect our privacy at this difficult time.
Ha Young Kim, M.D., and Jung Sun Park, M.D.