Chinkook Lee went to be in the presence of his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, on Monday, March 13, 2023 after complications resulting from a coronary procedure. He was surrounded by his beloved wife Kum of 54 years and his two children, Helen and Brian; he was 85 years old.

Chinkook was born on December 20, 1937 in Pyongyang, Korea, during the period of Japanese occupation. Geopolitical forces would continue to have far-reaching implications in his life; once World War II was over, the northern half of Korea came under Russian oversight, and he began to learn Russian and Chinese in addition to his previous tutelage in Japanese. The onset of the Korean War forced thousands of Koreans in the north to flee for safety and survival, so on December 4, 1950, Chinkook, his dad, and his older brother departed Pyongyang with the expectation of returning in one to two weeks once the situation settled down. Unfortunately, he would not be able to return once the country was rendered in two until decades later, so December 4 ^th became the last that he ever saw his mother. That huge loss and relocation would forever mark his heart, mind, and soul.

Though life as a war refugee in South Korea was very challenging for Chinkook, by God's grace he eventually graduated from Keisung High School with the help of his faith and his friends. God blessed him again when he attended Soongsil University, a Christian college where his faith continued to grow. The next pivotal moment occurred for Chinkook when he gained acceptance to study abroad in the United States. He and his family all agreed that the best opportunity for him was to leave for America, and despite how hard it was to leave his home country behind, he took the risk, arriving in the US with $100 in his pocket. He would eventually graduate from Vanderbilt University with his master's degree and then later receive his PhD in economics from Washington State University.

During this period of time, he would meet the person who would become God's greatest gift in his life, Kum Choi. They married in 1968 in a simple ceremony with no other relatives in attendance, as both were the first members of their respective families to immigrate to the US. A year later, their first child Helen was born, then five and a half years later, their son Brian. Chinkook would then be blessed with a job as an economic researcher with the US Department of Agriculture in Washington DC where he worked faithfully for nearly 30 years until his retirement in 2004, after which he moved to Aliso Viejo, CA. His retirement years have been full of blessings, including playing many rounds of golf both at the picturesque Dove Canyon Golf Club in Trabuco Canyon where he was a member, as well as all over the world. And he has passed on the love of the game to all five of his grandchildren. As of today, all five are still trying to match his accomplishment of a hitting a hole-in-one.

In addition to being a golf fan(atic), he was a consummate sports fan, a world traveler, a voracious reader, and a writer both in Korean and English. For the benefit of his kids and grandkids, he took the time to pen his memoir , a gift that they will treasure even more now in his absence. He enjoyed simple pleasures—home-cooked Korean meals, ice-cold beer, seeing his grandkids in person or on FaceTime, card games during family gatherings, and Thanksgiving, unquestionably his favorite holiday.

He grew up Protestant but converted to Catholicism in 2003, and his faith took on a deeper meaning as he grew older, as he regularly expressed how thankful he was to God for the blessings in his life, especially given how difficult his life as a youth had been. The older he became, the more he could see God's hand mysteriously guiding him day by day, year by year. He is now in his Savior's presence forever, for which his family is eternally grateful. He is survived by his wife Kum, his daughter Helen, his son Brian K., his son-in-law Brian H., his daughter-in-law Esther, and his five grandchildren: Jason, Sean, Aidan, Katie, and CJ.

Chinkook's funeral mass will be held at St. Nicholas Catholic Church in Laguna Woods on Friday, March 17 at 11 a.m. and a lunch reception will follow. In lieu of flowers, his family requests the sharing of any stories or memories on his tribute page. Please join Chinkook's family in praising God for a blessed life, well lived and loved.

Condolences left on Chinkook's Tribute Page do take 24-48 hrs to be approved before they appear on his Guestbook. Please contact McCormick & Son Mortuaries if you have any trouble leaving a condolence.