Newspaper Article

“Guardian Angel” dies at the age of 65, mourned by locals and celebrities alike.

Everyone has a person they have to thank for motivating them. Many people have Jongwoon Kim, who died yesterday at the age of 89, in their thanks, famous and local.

“He definitely helped me keep me on my path to my dream,” says Eunhyuk Lee. Eunhyuk was a high school classmate of Jongwoon’s, and is a member of the All Rise dance team and one of their choreographers. He has choreographed famous stars such as Monty S, BPUNK, and Katrina White. “I think he started helping people reach their potential after the car accident.”

During his junior year, Jongwoon was riding with two friends when they crashed due to a deer. Jongwoon was the only survivor.

“He seemed to have obtained a touch after his injury, and all of the sudden he started reaching out to people,” continued Eunhyuk. “It’s like he had inhaled the gentle grace of God and wanted to share it.”

“He brought out the good in people. He said things that everyone needed to hear,” says Kyuhyun Cho. Kyuhyun is a highly acclaimed veteran R&B singer in Korea. He belongs to the label Paradise Entertainment, which hosts other veteran singers that have met up with Jongwoon, such as LKH beats and Soul Chimes.

“We met him when we were students, and he was very positive and respectful,” said Leeteuk, speaking for his trio, LKH beats, which is named after each member’s first name.

“He literally cemented our talents and our fates,” says Yoochun of Soul Chimes, when Jongwoon had walked when Soul Chimes, which also includes other member Sungmin, was trying to perform one of their first duets. “His reassuring smile made us relax, which led to our success. His brotherly manner made us really comfortable with our struggles, so whenever we struggled after that, we could just laugh and not have our efforts stained by frustration.”

And it shows. Paradise Entertainment’s first generation of artists, which includes Kyuhyun, LKH Beats, and Soul Chimes, are considered legendary in Korea, and most artists these days list them as their role models. Paradise Entertainment has not yet managed to top their records of sales, chart wins, and honors with their new artists.

The older generation is not the only who benefited. “I had really thought that I either could have music, or I could have academics,” Jane Chu said. “Mr. Kim led me the right path where I could do both.”

Jongwoon Kim used to work at Bayshore hospital as a music therapist. Due to his influence among the staff and patients, there is a plaque in listing his achievements. The flag at the hospital will be lowered at half-mast.

The services will be held at 7 PM tomorrow, and he will be laid to rest in Deerfield Cemetery.

*

Okay, so I put Eunhyuk still as a dancer cause you know what, Michael Jackson was still dancing when he was 60, why not Eunhyuk? And I know, the whole singer business is a joke, but I had to include something.