James Kim 950059 221388252 2008-06-24T08:44:28Z Closedmouth 372693 Reverted edits by [[Special:Contributions/121.210.192.202|121.210.192.202]] to last version by Closedmouth (using [[WP:HG|Huggle]]) {{Two other uses|the [[CNET]] editor|the Korean guitarist|Kim Se Hwang|the Korean-American physician|Jim Kim}} {{Infobox Person |name = James Kim |image = James_kim_big.jpg |image_size = 200px |caption = James Kim with his two daughters |birth_date = {{birth date|1971|08|09}} |death_date = December 3/4, [[2006]] |death_place = [[Josephine County, Oregon]], [[United States|U.S.A.]] }} '''James Kim''' ([[August 9]], [[1971]] &ndash; December 3/4, [[2006]]) was an [[United States|American]] television personality and technology analyst for the former [[TechTV]] international [[cable television]] network, reviewing products for shows including ''[[The Screen Savers]]'', ''[[Call for Help]]'', and ''[[Fresh Gear]]''. He most recently worked as a senior editor of [[MP3]] and [[Digital Audio]] for [[CNET]], writing more than 400 product reviews. He also co-hosted a weekly video podcast for CNET's gadget blog, [http://crave.cnet.com Crave], and a weekly audio podcast, [http://mp3insider.cnet.com The MP3 Insider] (Both podcasts are co-hosted with [[Veronica Belmont]]). His disappearance and death, and his family's ordeal, made them the subject of a brief but intense period of news coverage in [[December 2006]]. ==Early life and background== Kim graduated from [[Ballard High School (Louisville)|Ballard High School]] in [[Louisville, Kentucky]]<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.kentucky.com/mld/kentucky/news/state/16172128.htmḸ |title=Missing father graduated from high school in Louisville |publisher=[[Associated Press]] |date=[[December 6]], [[2006]] |accessdate=2006-12-11}}</ref> in 1989 and from [[Oberlin College]] in [[Ohio]] in 1993 where he double-majored in Government and English and played for the varsity lacrosse team.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.oregonlive.com/metro/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/1165467322304590.xml&coll=7 |title=James Kim's love for family, friends left lasting impression with many |author=Janie Har and Larry Bingham |publisher=[[The Oregonian]] |date=[[December 7]], [[2006]] |accessdate=2006-12-11}}</ref> Son of Spencer H. Kim,<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/16187541.htm |title=Deputy says Kim may have been dead only hours when found |author=Julia Prodis Sulek |publisher=[[San Jose Mercury News]] |date=[[December 7]], [[2006]] |accessdate=2006-12-07}}</ref> an aerospace company executive and internationalist,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pacificcouncil.org/interior.aspx?pageID=About&subID=31&itemID=7995 |title=Mr. Spencer H. Kim |publisher=[[Pacific Council on International Policy]] |accessdate=2006-12-07}}</ref> Kim and his wife, Kati, owned two retail stores in [[San Francisco, California|San Francisco]]. ==Career== James Kim was most widely known as a television personality on the international cable network [[TechTV]], where he was a senior technology analyst for TechTV Labs. He made frequent appearances testing new products for shows including ''[[The Screen Savers]]'', ''[[Call for Help]]'', ''[[Fresh Gear]]'', and ''[[AudioFile]]''. He was best known for his "Lab Rats" segments, in which he reviewed the latest electronic gadgets. After leaving TechTV, he became a senior editor for [[CNET]], a technology trade journal, which he had joined in 2004. He wrote product reviews and co-hosted a weekly podcast for CNET's gadget blog, Crave. Prior to working for TechTV, Kim had been a legal assistant at law firms in New York and France; a media relations assistant for baseball's American League; and a script reader for Miramax Films. ==The Kims become snowbound in the wilderness== After spending the 2006 Thanksgiving holiday in [[Seattle, Washington]], the Kims (James, Kati, and their two daughters, Penelope and Sabine) set out for their home in [[San Francisco, California]]. On Saturday, [[November 25]], [[2006]], having left [[Portland, Oregon]] on their way to the Tu Tu Tun Lodge, a resort located near [[Gold Beach, Oregon]], the Kims missed a turnoff from Interstate 5 to [[Oregon Route 42]], a main route to the [[Oregon Coast]]. Instead of returning to the exit, they consulted a highway map and picked a secondary route that skirted the Wild Rogue Wilderness, a remote area of southwestern Oregon. After encountering heavy snow at high elevation on [[Bear Camp Road]], they turned, by mistake, onto one of hundreds of unpaved logging trails loosely supervised by the [[Bureau of Land Management]] (BLM). A road gate which was supposed to prevent such mistakes was open in spite of BLM rules requiring that it be closed. Media outlets reported that vandals had cut a lock on the gate, but a subsequent investigation showed that BLM employees had left it open to avoid trapping local hunters and others who might have ventured past it.<ref>{{cite news |last=Sleeth |first=Peter |url=http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/1166082943116310.xml&coll=7 |title=BLM left gate open on road to Kims' fate |work=[[The Oregonian]] |date=[[2006-12-14]] |accessdate=2007-06-05}}</ref> Early on the morning of [[November 26]], the family stopped due to fatigue and bad weather. As more snow fell around their immobilized station wagon, the Kims kept warm by running its engine. When the vehicle ran out of gas, they made a [[Campfire#Types of fuel|campfire]] of dried wood and magazines. Later, they burned their car's tires to signal rescuers. Search efforts began shortly after [[November 30]], when co-workers of Kim filed a missing persons report with the San Francisco Police Department.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://web.archive.org/web/20061205223442/http://www.sfgov.org/site/police_index.asp?id=37978 |title=SFPD:Missing Persons:Kim Family |author=San Francisco Police Department |publisher=San Francisco Police Department |date=[[2006-11-30]] |accessdate=2008-01-22}}</ref> After investigators learned that the Kims used their credit card at a local restaurant, [[search and rescue]] teams, including local and state police, more than 80 civilian volunteers, the Oregon Army National Guard and several helicopters hired by Mr. Kim's father, Spencer Kim, spent several days looking for the family along area highways and roads, to no avail. On [[December 2]], James Kim left his family to look for help, wearing tennis shoes, a jacket, and light clothing. He believed the nearest town ([[Galice, Oregon|Galice]]) was located four miles away after studying a map with his wife.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/12/07/BAGLKMRFBK7.DTL&feed=rss.news |title=Kims thought they were only 4 miles from help |author=Peter Fimrite, Marisa Lagos |publisher=[[San Francisco Chronicle]] |date=[[December 7]], [[2006]] |accessdate=2006-12-07}}</ref> He promised his wife to turn back the same day if he failed to find anyone, but he did not return.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.oregonlive.com/newslogs/oregonian/index.ssf?/mtlogs/olive_oregonian_news/archives/2006_12.html#211894 |title=Update: Mom, daughters found; dad still missing |author=David R. Anderson |publisher=[[The Oregonian]] |date=[[December 4]], [[2006]] |accessdate=2006-12-05}}</ref> ==Rescue of Kim's wife and daughters== Although the Kims had a [[Mobile phone|cellular phone]] with them, their remote location in the mountains was out of range of the [[cellular network]], rendering the phone unusable. Two [[Edge Wireless]] engineers, Eric Fuqua and Noah Pugsley, contacted search and rescue authorities offering their help in the search. On Saturday, [[December 2]], they began digging through the [[Data logging|data logs]] of [[cell site]]s, trying to find any towers the Kims' cellphone may have connected to. They discovered that on [[November 26]], [[2006]] at around 1:30 AM, the Kim's cellphone made a brief automatic connection to a cell site near [[Glendale, Oregon]], and retrieved two [[Text messaging|text messages]]. Through the data logs, the engineers determined that the cellphone was in a specific area west of the cellular tower. They then used a computer program to determine which areas in the mountains were within a [[Line-of-sight propagation|line-of-sight]] to the cellular tower. This narrowed the search area tremendously, and finally focused rescue efforts on [[Bear Camp Road]].<ref name="tragic_end">{{cite news |url=http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/12/06/national/main2232874.shtml |title=Tragic End To Search For Missing Dad |date=[[December 6]], [[2006]] |accessdate=2007-12-06}}</ref> On the afternoon of [[December 4]], John Rachor, a local helicopter pilot unaffiliated with any formal search effort, spotted Mrs. Kim and her two daughters alive walking on a remote road. After he radioed the family's position to authorities, the three were airlifted out of the area and transferred to a nearby hospital.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://news.com.com/1606-2-6140674.html| title = Video: Rescuers find Kim family members; search continues for editor| accessdate = 2006-12-04| publisher = CNet Networks}}</ref> Law enforcement officials said that the discovery of the cellphone connection, and the subsequent analysis of the log data, was the critical breakthrough that ultimately resulted in the rescue of Kim's wife and daughters by helicopter.<ref name="tragic_end"/> ==Death== <!-- Deleted image removed: [[Image:Jameskim-people.jpg|thumb|right|{size}|Kim on the cover of ''[[People (magazine)|People]]'' magazine's [[December 18]], [[2006]] issue {{Delrev|Image:Jameskim-people.jpg}}{{ifdc|Image:Jameskim-people.jpg|log=2007 August 17}}]] --> Officials continued to search for Mr. Kim, at one point finding clothing that he had discarded along the way, likely as signals to searchers. Oregon officials stated, "These were placed with our belief that little signs are being left by James for anyone that may be trying to find him so that they can continue into the area that he's continuing to move in."<ref name="cnetvideo1">{{cite web| url = http://news.com.com/1606-2-6141132.html| title = Video: Searchers: We will find James Kim| accessdate = 2006-12-06| publisher = CNET Networks}}</ref> On Wednesday, [[December 6]] at 12:03pm, Mr. Kim's body was found in Big Windy Creek.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16070337/|title=Distraught rescue crews come up just short|date=2006-12-06|publisher=MSNBC|author=Alex Johnson, Alan Boyle}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,234880,00.html|publisher=Fox News|title=Body of Missing San Francisco Dad Found in Oregon|date=2006-12-06}}</ref> ({{coord|42.645575|N|123.723575|W|format=dms|name=Location of Kim's Body}}) Lying on his back in one to two feet of icy water, he was fully clothed and had been carrying a backpack which contained his ID among other miscellaneous items.<ref name="autopsy">{{cite web| url = http://news.com.com/James+Kim+died+of+hypothermia%2C+autopsy+reveals/2100-1028_3-6141886.html| title = James Kim died of hypothermia, autopsy reveals| accessdate = 2006-12-08| publisher = CNET Networks}}</ref> He had walked about 16.2 miles (26 km) from the car to that point, and was only a mile from Black Bear Lodge, which - although closed for the winter - was fully-stocked at the time. An autopsy revealed that Kim had died due to [[hypothermia]] and that his body had suffered no incapacitating physical injuries. The medical examiner who performed the autopsy guessed that Kim had died roughly two days after leaving the vehicle.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/missing_family |title=Autopsy: Missing man died of hypothermia |author=Jeff Barnard |publisher=Associated Press |date=2006-12-07 |accessdate=2006-12-07}}</ref><ref name="autopsy"/> ===Map and route controversy=== Because of Mr. Kim's background as a technology analyst, observers speculated that the family had used online mapping to find their route.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/12/07/MNGTMMQTVO1.DTL|title=Maps: Internet travel directions need to be checked carefully|author=Leslie Fulbright|publisher=[[The San Francisco Chronicle]]|date=[[December 8]], [[2006]]|access date=2006-12-08}}</ref> However, Mrs. Kim told state police that they had used a paper road map,<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.gazettetimes.com/articles/2006/12/07/news/top_story/4aaa01_bodyfound.txt |title=Missing San Francisco man found dead |author=Jeff Barnard |publisher=[[Associated Press]] |date=[[December 6]], [[2006]] |accessdate=2006-12-07}}</ref> an account supported by the [[Oregon State Police]], which reported that the Kims had used an official State of Oregon highway map.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.flashalert.net/news.html?id=1002 |title=Update: Information Discussed During [[December 6]] 10:00 a.m. Media Briefing on Search for James Kim |publisher=[[Oregon State Police]] |date=[[December 6]], [[2006]] |accessdate=2006-12-07}}</ref> Mrs. Kim later recounted that, after they had been stuck for four days and were studying the map for help, both she and Mr. Kim noticed that a box in the corner of the map bore the message: "Not all Roads Advisable, Check Weather Conditions."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mailtribune.com/archive/2007/0119/local/stories/kati_excerpts.htm |title=In Kati Kim's own words |publisher=[[Medford Mail Tribune]] |date=[[January 19]], [[2007]] |accessdate=2007-01-19}}</ref> Bear Camp Road is lightly used between October and April, even by local residents, due to its difficult terrain, spotty maintenance, steep dropoffs and often inclement weather.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/12/06/BAGGTMQGS24.DTL|title=Missing dad leaving clothing and map markers |author=Jaxon van Derbeken and Marisa Lagos |publisher=[[The San Francisco Chronicle]] |date=[[December 6]], [[2006]] |access date=2006-12-07}}</ref> As they drove along the road, the Kims passed three prominent warning signs that state: "Bear Camp Rd. May Be Blocked By Snowdrifts."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/12/11/griffin.oregon|title=Warning signs marked Kim family's journey|author=Drew Griffin|publisher=[[CNN]]|date=[[December 11]], [[2006]]|access date=2006-12-11}}</ref> Mrs. Kim later told police that they had noticed only one warning sign. ===Intense media coverage=== {{wikinews2|CNet Reporter James Kim, family missing|Body of James Kim found in Oregon wilderness}} The Kim family's ordeal became a lead story on most major U.S. news networks, even amidst breaking news of the [[Iraq Study Group]]'s recommendations on America's war in Iraq. MSNBC.com reported one million page views on the story, making it the top story in the hours after Mr. Kim's body was found. CNN.com reported twice as many page views that afternoon as the Iraq story.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/12/07/MNGTMMR4IU1.DTL&hw=james+kim&sn=014&sc=502| title = SFGate.com: A Family's Tragedy Gripping Story: It was tracked by millions| accessdate = 2006-12-07| publisher = San Francisco Chronicle}}</ref> Within a week Mr. Kim and family appeared on the cover of ''People'' magazine. Newspapers in the region, led by ''[[The Oregonian]]'' and the ''[[San Francisco Chronicle]]'', devoted heavy coverage to the events and their aftermath. ==Later developments== On [[January 6]], [[2007]], ''[[The Washington Post]]'' published an op-ed article written by Spencer Kim, James Kim's father, criticizing various government entities that had, in his estimation, played roles in his son's death. The elder Kim blamed the BLM for not locking the gate to the logging road; privacy laws that he claimed had delayed the start of search and rescue efforts; local authorities for "confusion, communication breakdowns and failures of leadership" during the search; and the Federal Aviation Administration for not keeping media aircraft out of the search area.<ref>{{cite web|url = http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/05/AR2007010501736.html| title = Lessons In My Son's Death| accessdate = 2007-06-04| publisher = Washington Post Co.}}</ref> On [[February 18]], [[2007]], a memorial service was held for James Kim at the Golden Gate Park in San Francisco.<ref>{{cite web|url = http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070218/ap_on_re_us/missing_family| title = Man honored for fatal bid to save family| accessdate = 2006-07-17| publisher = Yahoo News}}</ref> On [[April 16]], [[2007]], ''[[The Oregonian]]'' was awarded the [[2007 Pulitzer Prize]] for a distinguished example of local reporting of breaking news, presented in print or online or both, for their coverage of the Kim family story.<ref>[http://www.pulitzer.org/year/2007/breaking-news-reporting/ 2007 Pulitzer Prize award announcement from pulitzer.org]</ref><ref>[http://blog.oregonlive.com/breakingnews/2007/04/oregonian_wins_pulitzer_for_br.html Announcement of award from oregonlive.com]</ref> The staff of the Oregonian was lauded for "its skillful and tenacious coverage of a family missing in the Oregon mountains, telling the tragic story both in print and online." On [[September 12]], [[2007]], Kati Kim gave an exclusive interview of the ordeal to UK blogging site [http://www.dollymix.tv/2007/09/femina_potens_kati_kim_breaks_1.html DollyMix]. ==See also== *[[Bear Camp Road]] -- A road that figured prominently in the ordeal. *[[Bear Camp Road#DeWitt Finley|Dewitt Finley]] -- A man who died of starvation after he was stranded for weeks in the same area due to a winter storm in 1994. ==References== {{reflist|2}} ==External links== * [http://bbs.keyhole.com/ubb/showthreaded.php/Cat/0/Number/707603/page/0 Google Earth Community] View the area with Google Earth, with waypoints marked includes timeline of events. * [http://www.jamesandkati.com JamesAndKati.com] set up by friends and family of James Kim [http://news.com.com/How+to+help+the+James+Kim+family/2100-1028_3-6142209.html (Link provided by James' former employer CNET)] * [http://www.doe-sf.com/index.php Doe SF] One of the stores owned and operated by the Kims; now solely operated by Kati Kim. * [http://news.com.com/1606-2-6140674.html Press Conference Video, [[December 4]], [[2006]]] * [http://news.com.com/2100-1028_3-6141211.html?part=rss&tag=2547-1_3-0-5&subj=news Satellite re-routed] * [http://www.cnettv.com/9710-1_53-25121.html CNET's Video Tribute to James Kim and family] * [http://www.jameskimtechfound.org/ James Kim Technology Foundation] Non-profit fund that assists San Francisco public schools with providing access to technology. {{DEFAULTSORT:Kim, James}} [[Category:1971 births]] [[Category:2006 deaths]] [[Category:Accidental human deaths in the United States]] [[Category:American bloggers]] [[Category:American television personalities]] [[Category:CNET Networks]] [[Category:Deaths by hypothermia]] [[Category:Korean Americans]] [[Category:Oberlin College alumni]] [[Category:People from Louisville, Kentucky]] [[Category:People from San Francisco, California]] [[Category:TechTV]] [[Category:Villanova University alumni]] [[zh:詹姆斯·金]]