In the middle of a very turbulent time in South Korea, when the Workers’ Party of North Korea were organizing and fighting against the Republic of Korea, Jeong Suk Song was born on the lunar date December 5, 1948 on the small island of Wando in the South Jeolla Province of South Korea. When the conflict had settled down, his mother, Soo Jin Kim, and his father, Ki Chan Song, moved their family back to Gwangju, where Jeong grew up with his five brothers and sisters: Dong Suk, In Sook, Myung Suk, Kyung Ran, and Hye Kyung. After he graduated from Gwangju Jaeil High School, he served his mandatory military service in the South Korean Army.

Jeong’s lifelong passion for reading and learning about different cultures led him to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree in German Literature at Sogang University, Seoul. Upon graduating, he became a journalist for Dong-a Ilbo, an award-winning newspaper known for its “journalistic integrity in reporting the truth, humanism by sharing the pain of the neglected, and being revolutionary by not fearing change.” This mirrored his own convictions throughout his entire life.

When his friend Jin Shik Kim introduced him to his younger sister, Jeong started his correspondence with the lovely Sang Soon Kim, who was living overseas in Michigan and working as a registered nurse. They held their wedding on May 1, 1977. After honeymooning on the island of Jeju, they moved to Chicago, Illinois, to start their life together.

Without the confidence in his English language skills to work as a journalist in America, Jeong studied electronics engineering at the DeVry Institute of Technology in Chicago. While he was studying, Jeong and Janet had two daughters—Jenie and Susan. After he received his second Bachelor’s degree, he moved his family to Santa Clara, California, where he started working as an engineer at Amdahl Corporation, a company that specialized in creating IBM mainframe-compatible computer products. In 1998, he went into business as co-owner of a company that manufactured PCB boards.

While engineering was his vocation, Jeong’s love for literature, music, and the arts never ceased. In his younger years, he memorized whole books in English, and in his later years, he was never without one of his kindles. He listened to his favorite composer, Beethoven, all the way up until his last breath. He passed on his love of music to his eldest daughter, Jenie, and unconditionally supported her pursuit of the arts with pride. When he retired, he not only read all of the books in his younger daughter Susan’s bookshelves, but also continuously gave her recommendations of the stimulating and thought-provoking books that he had pored over.

When Jeong had returned home after his recent hospitalization, he told his younger daughter, “I have no regrets.” He was happy with what he had accomplished and expressed having lived a life of contentment. He left this world on his own terms–quickly, quietly, at peace, and surrounded by his family. Jeong breathed his last breath on the morning of Thursday, July 13, 2023, in his home in Sunnyvale, California. Surviving him are his wife, Janet Sang Soon Song, his two children, Jenie Song Gagne and Susan Song, and his two grandchildren, Evangeline and Marguerite Gagne. While his body may be gone, his warmth, laughter and spirit continue to shape and inspire those who love him.