Rashi and I feared it was coming, just as everyone else, but we had not expected it would be so soon. SangKoo’s passing has left a huge vacuum not only in the Rotary world, but also for thousands of people who knew him. We were no exception. What a wonderful soul he was. Soft spoken, very well spoken, full of positivity and ever smiling.
He was back-benching when I was on the Board of Directors and soon enough, we became good friends. In no time the bond became stronger and I invited him to the installation ceremony of my club. He came and won the hearts of everyone. His stay in Kolkata with us was so special. The next three days that we spent together, including the one at the beautiful resort Rajbari Bawali, were truly memorable. We showed him around Kolkata and he loved the street food, specially the dosa. It reminded him of his favourite Korean dish and every time we met thereafter, he definitely remembered it. And I was amazed when he reciprocated, taking me out for a dosa meal in Seoul, Korea!.
Both of us have great memories of that visit for the Presidential Conference. SangKoo was the conference chair and despite the Covid pandemic, he organised various programmes across Korea over the next five days, taking us to different projects, sightseeing and his lovely home where Eun Sun hosted us so gracefully. We could see how highly respected he was in Korea by the Rotarians as well as others, whether at a dinner with former UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon or at the lunch by the Indian Ambassador. He was surely the frontrunner in Rotary Korea; no wonder he was chosen to be RI President — only the second person from Korea.
I was privileged to have him as moderator of my International Assembly. We visited Shingle Creek in Orlando, US, for a recce of the first IA to be held at that venue.Despite so many preparatory meetings, finally the IA had to be held virtually. Even at that time I realised how meticulous SangKoo was in his planning. He had foresight, sincerity, and passion for helping others. He was just the man to lead our wonderful organisation.
We created a thousand memories with him, at Evanston, in the board room, at the Seoul Convention, at our home, on the streets of Kolkata, in Korea’s different cities, on the several Zoom calls. And we all looked forward to his presidentship. But unfortunately, fate had other plans.
His persona exemplified the true spirit of Rotary and his legacy of service with compassion will continue to inspire us always…
Dear SangKoo, you are remembered and truly missed… Rest in peace.
The writer is a past RI president