Kyoungsoon Kim

On April 17, 2022, Kyoungsoon Kim passed away peacefully at Calvary Hospital in Bronx, New York. Kyoungsoon was born in Gusung, North Korea in 1938 (later registered as 1940). Just before the Korean war broke out, his family fled by foot to South Korea and established roots in Seoul. The last of eight children, Kyoungsoon was an excellent student and gained admissions to both the prestigious Seoul High School and Seoul National University, where he graduated in 1965 with a major in Business. Kyoungsoon went on to a career with the Korean National Oil Corporation (대한석유공사, later known as SK Energy), where he was an executive for 15 years. He married Oyoun Lee in February 1969 and together they had three children, Jungho (1969), Rae (1971) and Rae Eun/Rachel (1975). In 1983 Kyoungsoon and his family immigrated to the United States, settling down first in Riverdale in the Bronx, and then ultimately in Bayside, Queens. He then bought and managed Merrick Road Spirits (doing business as Bottoms Up) for 28 years. Being an entrepreneur gave Kyoungsoon a freedom that he did not enjoy as a "salaryman" in Korea; he was a shrewd businessman and easily made friends with salesmen, truck drivers, and countless customers who became regulars. He worked tirelessly, seven days a week for a long stretch. He looked forward to his annual trips back to Seoul, when he would rejoin his life-long friends from high school and college, especially those from the 17th class of the Business College of Seoul National University. He also met up regularly with college friends in New York until the Covid pandemic. Sports featured heavily in his life. Kyoungsoon was a shortstop in his high school baseball team. He was also an avid tennis player before picking up golf, which became his main passion and hobby. Kyoungsoon achieved two hole-in-one's and two Eagles, winning many tournaments over the years in both Korea and the United States. After his retirement in 2012, he loved visiting Saint Martin where his elder daughter lives, and he would while away afternoons in the sun, laugh at snow reports from New York, and watch NCAA tournaments. In addition to playing and watching golf, Kyoungsoon loved the Three Tenors, especially Pavarotti, the NY Mets, Pralines and Cream ice cream, Korean cold noodles (냉면), Marlborough Lights, the movie "Papillon", and Love is a Many Splendored Things by Frank Sinatra. He was especially proud of his five grandchildren, Leah (22), Hanaya (21), Manolee (17), Ella (13) and Ethan (9). The family would like to extend sincere thanks to the Calvary Hospital and its staff on the 6th floor who took care of him in his last days, as well as the Visiting Nurse Services of New York.