It is with great sadness that I pass along this news.
Prof. Kim was a member of the doctoral faculty in political science at the CUNY Graduate Center for over four decades. His research was in comparative political thought. Many readers of this blog, especially those in the proximity of New York City, have likely interacted with him in the past, as he was a regular participant in the Columbia Neo-Confucian Seminar as well as the Columbia Society for Comparative Philosophy.
He was a generous colleague with a warm sense of humor and kind, encouraging words. To have him fall victim to such a heinous crime is heartbreaking. More information can be found at this link. Here is a statement from Prof. Kim’s family.
Our condolences to all those who knew him.
It is indeed saddening to learn about the tragic death of Dr. Kim. I knew him so well as he was present at almost every meeting of Columbia Seminar on New Confucian Studies for over a decade when I was there (and I know he was there long before I went there and after I left). He was always so kind, nice, and humorous. All of us at the seminar love and respect him so much. He will be forever remembered!
I’ve just learned about Professor Kim’s tragic death. I met Prof. Kim only once but immediately found him to be a man of curiosity, humor, and passion (even wanting to learn from a much younger scholar!). His last words are truly moving and show that there still is a true scholar-teacher (선생님) who pays brutality and injustice with love and integrity. My deep condolence to his family. I hope that he rests in peace.