Dr. Kwang Suh Kim “K.S.,” DC resident since 1965, passed away on July 30, 2019, at the age of 96. Born in Korea’s Hwanghae Province in 1923, he endured the Japanese occupation of Korea, the American firebombing of Tokyo toward the end of WWII, and the Cold War partition of the Korean peninsula, which positioned his birthplace within North Korea. His father, Myung Sun Kim, was a medical pioneer at Severance Hospital and Yonsei University College of Medicine in Seoul. Following his example, K.S. studied physiology and medicine in Japan, Korea (Seoul National University: MD 1947), and the US (University of Illinois, Chicago: MS, 1949, PhD 1952), and in 1950 became a member of Sigma Xi. K.S. married pianist Sura Kang in New York City in 1954 and the young family traveled widely while he pursued research and teaching opportunities in Seattle, Dallas, the Mayo Clinic, the Universities of Liverpool and Singapore, and, finally, George Washington University. In a mid-career pivot, K.S. completed his internship at DC General Hospital and residency at Suburban Hospital (Bethesda, MD), and became a practicing physician at the age of 53. From 1976-2000 he maintained a general practice in Rockville, Maryland, while also working at GWU Student Health Services, Andrew Rader US Army Health Clinic, and Walter Reed Army Medical Center. He was an attending physician at Suburban Hospital and Adventist HealthCare Shady Grove Medical Center (Rockville, MD). Dr. Kim valued education, public service, civil rights, nature, and the arts. He believed strongly in Korean reunification, the democratic process, and social responsibility. A life-long learner, his inquisitive, optimistic, and humble spirit will be dearly missed. He is survived by his wife, Sura; daughters Soye and Sojin of Washington, DC, Somi (Markus Brilling) of Montclair, NJ; and grandson, Lucas. Private memorials are pending.
1923 - 2019