The first neurosurgeon to serve the Cape Girardeau, Mo., community, Dr. Yong Kie Kim died at the age of 81 on Jan. 28, 2017, according to a Southeast Missourian article.
Dr. Kim came to Saint Francis Medical Center in 1985, bringing neurosurgery services to Cape Girardeau for the first time.
He left North Korea as a teenager, eventually studying medicine at Seoul National University School of Medicine in South Korea. Dr. Kim moved to Germany after graduating to continue his medical studies.
After 10 years in Cape Girardeau, Dr. Kim retired in California.