MEMORIES
A l’annonce du départ de Ky, nous avons reçu de nombreux et formidables témoignages. Nous en présentons quelques uns, qui racontent son talent, sa fidelité, son humour, son amour.
When we announced Ky’s passing, we received fantastic and numerous testimonies. Here are some excerpts, talking about his talent, his loyalty, his humor and his love.
« Ky, honey, nous nous sommes rencontrés en 2002, dans la maison de Parmain que tu aimais et où nous avons tant de souvenirs. Tu étais venu passer quelques mois en France pour parfaire la langue française que tu avais apprise au lycée puis aux Nations Unies. Tu as fait le choix rapide de vivre en France, avec moi. Coréen, puis américain, tu as fait plusieurs fois le tour du monde, avant de te fixer dans de ce pays qui est le mien, le nôtre. De notre union, deux merveilleux enfants sont nés. Je me souviens de ton sourire si rayonnant à la naissance d’Hannah, de ta fierté renouvelée à l’arrivée de Noah. Ensemble, nous avons vécu des moments de bonheur fou. Tu étais mon meilleur ami, mon confident, mon partenaire de vie, le père de nos enfants, mon époux. Absent, tu restes aussi l'homme que j’aime. »
Catherine, Ky’s spouse
“For 53 years my brother, Ky has touched many lives around the world, literally. He was a loving husband and father, talented photographer, kindest friend, and colorful storyteller. I am extremely blessed to have had that time with him and our family. His picture below makes me smile because when he was getting fitted for his tux for my wedding, he came out of the dressing room and asked everyone if he looked like a waiter at a Chinese restaurant. He had a great sense of humor.”
His Sister, JeeWon (USA)
“Ky was my best friend. We met almost exactly 40 years ago. We went to high school together. We spent our summers playing tennis with each other for six hours every day. Over these many years, Ky taught me many things. Things I now find myself trying to put into practice. The truth is much of this I didn’t see so clearly until now. But this is just another thing he’s taught me: To reflect and be present. Reflect now on what your friends, your partner, your children can teach you. Be present now in what you’re doing, whatever it is, and notice it and appreciate it.”
Gil (USA)
“I met Ky when we were
17 years old on our first
day in a University Honor’s
English class. Ky was selected for a prestigious University Honors program –as one of twenty students from thousands of candidates in the USA. We were friends from that moment on. We laughed, cried and shared in all our most important moments in college and in life thereafter. Ky had such a passion for life. His magnetic personality filled the room, he was at ease speaking to anyone and he could make anyone laugh. In our first year in college, we had to give a lecture to our classmates. Ky was so relaxed that he had taken his shoes off in the classroom and went in front of the classroom barefoot to give his lecture. He didn’t even realize that he was barefoot. The whole class noticed including our professor and we were all laughing. And the laughter put all of us at ease –that was Ky.”
Nina (USA)
“Ky and I met at Rutgers University. I also spent a summer with him in Urbino, Italy. I was lucky to meet him and recognize his goodness. I have wonderful memories that he is a part of which I will have as long as my mind allows me to relive.”
Gustavo (USA)
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“Ky was our best photographer at Fotografica. I knew he would go on to greater things, he married Catherine and made Hannah and Noah. Ky lives in all of us that knew him. We can find solace and cry happy tears when we see him reflected in all the photographs he took. He captured those moments in time for us. So, we can have them every day.”
Patty (USA)
« Dans notre petit groupe d’amis du Kosovo, dans les années 2000, de grandes amitiés se sont formées, des souvenirs qui resteront gravés, des liens que l’on croyait tous éternels et indestructibles. Ky était au cœur de notre petit monde. On l’aimait pour tout ce qu’il était : son talent, sa capacité à capturer les plus beaux moments, ses questionnements incessants, sa fidélité, sa quête de l’inconnu. On l’aimait parce qu’il a toujours sur rester égal à lui-même. »
Victoria (France, USA)
“I appreciate his incredible talent as photographer. Ky was able to capture light, nature, human souls in a unique way. Some of the photos he took when working in Kosovo are unforgettable to me. We keep his memories and amazing art alive”.
Sara (Italy)
“It's difficult to express in words how dear of a friend Ky has been to me when we lived in Ivory Coast. He was an amazing listener, and his jokes and sense of humor brightened our tennis evenings. I remember fondly how he transmitted his passion for photography - and he was a damn good tennis player too!”
Pauline (Netherlands)
“I’ve been recollecting the time with Ky a lot. The first complete tour of NYC he offered, the movies he took me to, all the inspiring stories including his own adventures he shared with all of us… Ky is one of the few people I know who truly lived his life, still in a considerate and responsible way.
With eyes closed,
I still hear his deep and
gentle voice. Ky was a
great artist and a
generous human being
who lived among
normal people
like myself, and he will
live in my heart forever
as a real example of “crouching tiger, hidden dragon”, just like the title of the movie we went together somewhere in the midtown a long time ago.”
Aeree, his cousin (Korea)
« Ky, tu étais une belle et profonde personne, tu as pris place au plus profond de mon cœur, de nos cœurs, tu y resteras pour toujours et j’espère que, de là, tu pourras nous regarder vieillir. »
Eric, his brother in law (France)
« Doté d’une générosité hors du commun, Ky a su toucher nos volontaires et nos partenaires dans le cadre de mandats de photographie réalisés au Honduras et aux Philippines. Toutes et tous gardent de lui un merveilleux souvenir. Au cours de sa carrière, il a amplement documenté le travail de nombreuses organisations internationales et ONG. Nous le remercions du fond du cœur pour son engagement ».
L'équipe de l’ONG Terre Sans Frontières (Québec)
« Savoir regarder les petits bonheurs qui jalonnent notre chemin et savoir admirer chaque brindille que nous emmène la vie. Ky, avec ses yeux, savaient nous le faire partager. »
Delphine (France)
« Tu auras été là, à saisir les images merveilleuses de ces instants si précieux. Accompagnant tout le monde dans cette barque qui aura vogué contre vents et marées.»
Stephanie (France)
« Ky a immortalisé avec grâce et talent un des plus beaux - et rares - moments de ma vie, lors de notre mariage. Ses photos transcendent beaucoup de choses. »
Frédéric (France)
“Ky was a wonderful, talented man, always a calming presence, professionally and above all as a friend.”
Philip (UK)
« I’ll always treasure the memories I have of Ky, laughing and working with him. Such a nice person and a calm soul."
Dave (UK)
“We enjoyed working with him and spending time with him, he was an incredibly talented photographer and most of all, a wonderful human being.”
Nikki and the team at Ordinary Lights (USA)
“Besides being talented professionally, with a great sense of humor, Ky was also a compassionate and kind being. He was loved by everyone.”
Linda (France)
« Merci Ky pour la si belle personne que tu as été, merci d’avoir été un très grand ami, tu le resteras toujours. »
Annie (Québec)
« C’était un très grand ami avec lequel j’ai passé beaucoup de moments heureux. Tellement d’humour et beaucoup de cœur et de talent ».
Wafa (Lebanon)
“Ky's always funny anecdotes and stories about anything from tennis (Federer!) to relationships to the latest high-tech camera equipment. We will always remember him as a generous, funny, and smart man.”
Shazia and Salman (Canada)
« Ky was one of the nicest blokes you’d ever meet...you’ll be missed mate! »
Dom (Australia)
“Ky loved hiking and kept having issues with boots on your trips. It never stopped him from moving up. Always laughing and cracking jokes.”
Catherine
“He was an amazing person, and a really good friend. I’m so glad life got me the chance to meet him and be one of his coworkers. I will never forget him and everything he taught me.”
Tamara (France)
