Joseph Lim Kim

Joseph Lim Kim was born at the crossroads of Kentucky and West Virginia, in a region famed for its historical feud between the Hatfields and McCoys. He is the child of a Korean immigrant and an Irish Catholic nun turned beauty queen, known as Miss Welch, hailing from the coal mining communities of West Virginia.

Joseph's father, Kim Hak-Lim, endured harrowing experiences as a South Korean prisoner of war, where he was left for dead after brutal marches by North Korean forces. Remarkably, his grandmother trailed him, ultimately discovering him in a cave and nursing him back to health with limited resources, surviving on crickets and insects. This resilience paved the way for his father to eventually become a surgeon, marking him as one of the first Korean physicians to settle in the United States.

Following his medical training, Kim Hak-Lim married Shirley Jean Daugherty, who had left her life in the convent. Together, they focused on building a life that honored their diverse heritages while contributing significantly to the medical community. Joseph Lim Kim's story is one of survival, cultural fusion, and the relentless pursuit of dreams, reflecting the strength of his family's legacy and the impact of their journeys across continents.