“The dead body of missing CNET editor James Kim has been located, authorities announced Wednesday,” Leslie Katz reports for CNET News.
“Arrangements are being made to transport Kim to an undisclosed location, according to a police statement. Kim has been missing in the remote southwestern Oregon wilderness for 11 days. The family has asked not to be contacted,” Katz reports.
“After being rescued in good condition Monday, Kim’s 30-year-old wife, Kati, and daughters Penelope (4 years) and Sabine (7 months) have been reunited with family members,” Katz reports.
Full article here.
“The body of a San Francisco man who had walked into the Oregon wilderness to summon help for his stranded family was found Wednesday in a steep ravine where he had left clues for searchers,” CNN reports. “Officials confirmed that James Kim, 35, an editor at the Web site CNET, had been found dead.”
“Brian Anderson, Undersheriff of Josephine County, broke down and could not finish speaking as he announced that Kim’s body was found at 3:03 p.m. ET,” CNN reports.
“Searchers were attempting to remove Kim’s body, and his family members have requested that their privacy be respected, officials said,” CNN reports. “Kim walked into the snowy Oregon mountains Saturday to find help for his wife and two young daughters. They were rescued by searchers on Monday.”
Full article here.
Tragic. Our condolences to the Kim family.
Related article:
Wife, daughters of missing CNET editor found alive, James Kim still missing – December 04, 2006
He died trying to save his family. He’s a man of character and bravery. I wish that something could have been done to rescue him, or give him comfort that the family was ok.
what were the clues he left?
I always wonder what i would do in the same situation
My condolences to the Kim family. He was a brave man and will be sorely missed.
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Another example of the simple fact of winter survival … STAY IN YOUR CAR. So sad. 🙁
I can only reiterate the words by MDN – My condolences to his family.
He wore extra articles of clothing and took off articles to leave a trail.
So very sad and such a brave man.
saddened, deeply. saddened.
I’m glad that his family survived… and I’m sure he will not be forgotten.
Jb
Oh man, that is really sad. I can’t imagine what his family must be going through right now. My condolences.
Very Sad.
His last CNet video review was for the Zune on Nov 14.
http://reviews.cnet.com/4321-6490_7-6551614-1.html
I’m from Denmark, and have no idea why this story is so important..
Was this guy some sort of celebrity in the US or?..
(btw a very noble way to die)
curious: what were the clues he left?
He took some clothes with him and left a trail of them to follow. It appears he also began to remove his own clothes when he ran out of the ones he had been carrying. I believe the extreme cold got to him be became disoriented and then…well, Hypothermia…not way I’d want to go.
He was a brave and caring man, from what I’ve read, and his actions to go in search of help prove that. It is tragic and sad that he would have been alive had he remained with the car. 🙁 My condolences go out to his family and friends.
Just goes to show that life is Sooo fragile. Life can seem so meaningless sometimes.
I’m so sad deeply as well. I am an Korean as he was. I just lost what to say. hope is gone.
Was this guy some sort of celebrity in the US or?..
———–
No, he wasn’t a celebrity, but this story has been big in the news lately because he was missing for 11 days… Search crews were looking for him and his family for some time.
People die every day! Get over it!
They say that when hypothermia sets in, you paradoxically begin to feel warm. At first, the body tries to protect the internal organs by pulling all the warm blood into the body by constricting the cappillaries (that’s why your extremities like hands and feet get cold first). With continued exposure to col, however, violent shuddering starts to set in and then the body realizes that it needs to send some blood back out to the extremities or it will lose them.
Basically, the human body doesn’t really know how to deal with cold so you get this cycling effect. In the end, because the blood is flowing back out through the capillaries, you get a false feeling of warmth, but that’s usually when your minutes away from death. Victims have been known to take off their clothese because of this false feeling of warmth.
James Kim was a brave man, may he rest in peace.
The curse of the zune…that’s what happens when you give the zune a good review. It comes back to get you.
There are rules to follow when traveling in the wilderness in the dead of winter. You need weather forecast info, extra clothing, water, food, fuel, a heat source, GPS capability and a sat phone wouldn’t go amiss. Even a supply of toilet paper is important. No one endangers young family members on purpose. Anyone can get lost easily. You must be prepared.
Attempting to walk out to find help for your family was a deadly mistake many of us would have made. You can’t let yourself get into that position. A breakdown can occur anywhere at any time. At least he knew enough to burn the tires to keep warm. People have frozen to death without trying that.
He was a brave man who did what he could.
My heart goes out to his family.
“Was this guy some sort of celebrity in the US or?..”
He was an editor at a tech website CNet.com which is a site that reviews tech products including Apple’s. Many people who use Macs frequent their website for product reviews if you were wondering why this made MDN.
Sad, so sad. The thing is, this guy will always be a hero to his family and I’m sure his wife will certainly tell his daughters when they are older the story of how their father died trying to save them. What a way to tell your family you truly love them.
RIP JK
if only it was kim jung ill! wrong korean dude.
my sorries to the kims.
Rule 1: If you are lost, stay where you are.
Still, sad day. Condolences.
Tom Strong wrote: “People die every day! Get over it!”
Yeah, sure Tom. It’s true people die every day, but it’s also true most people with hearts take a moment to express sympathy for the deceased.
And we will all move on, as will the family of James Kim (though their tragedy is personal and much deeper). The difference is that people like you never “get into it” in the first place.
But you know what? It’s all karma, because no doubt none of us here at MDN will give a crap when you meet the grim reaper yourself. That’s also called poetic justice.
I was hoping that the rescuers would find him in time to save him. Tragic loss for his kids. I hope they have an uncle who can step up and give them a father figure to look up to which is very important in their development.
I went to the link and read the luke warm review of the Zune (probably didn’t have much to say about it because it sucks, and he had to write something). I noticed that for some reason there are only 11 ratings for iPod owners, but 192 for Zune and 102 for Toshiba (which are probably the same people).
iPod owners need to go to the URL and add their ratings. There is no way only 11 iPod users shold be listed. It should be more like 10,000 iPod ratings.
http://reviews.cnet.com/4321-6490_7-6551614-1.html
I have been in the vicinity where Kim was (I had property there for years). It is easy to lose one’s sense of direction real fast, especially with snow on the ground. It is a tragedy, to say the least.
Earlier today, before his body was found, either CNN or MSNBC news, I forget which, was doing a peice on him.
Split screen showed him holding ipod while talking, with a row of imacs behind him (G5).
On another note- trail of clothes may have been not a trail at all. Sometimes hypothemia causes physical, as well as mental disorientation, and sufferers while experiencing frostbite often feel “warm”, and beging shedding clothes.
I lost a friend in the Adirondaks- same way, almost.
He did NOT have Gore-Tex, layered clothes, etc. Wandered away from car.
ten u.s. soldiers were killed today in iraq.
which story deserves national news coverage?
@ joell-
What, are you kidding?
…”ten u.s. soldiers were killed today in iraq.
which story deserves national news coverage?…”
This is MACDAILYNEWS.
Ugh, joell– they both do, and will.
he looked like an amazing guy. his reviews were always great.
condolences to his wife and very cute kids who will be deprived of a great father.
RIP.
There is a wonderful photo of James Kim and one of his daughters at the cnet.com site.
Many heartfelt condolences to the family.
“ten u.s. soldiers were killed today in iraq.
which story deserves national news coverage?”
zing.
Because this has made the news everywhere, I hope this will lead to other lives being saved. James death is tragic. But it’s a difficult situation when you are desperate and don’t know what to do. What would you do if you were in this situation with a wife and kids and with no outlook of being saved? If you are unprepared, desperation really starts to sink in.
People should be made aware to prepare for trips like these, and also have to know what to do in terms of actions. Let people become aware.
My thoughts are with the family.
According to the CNET website, he was currently in the process of writing a book on the Zune. Now we’ll never see it 🙁
My condolences to the Kim family.
They have a webpage giving info on the situation. There is a guestbook and a button provides for making a donation.
http://www.jamesandkati.com/
“Yeah, sure Tom. It’s true people die every day, but it’s also true most people with hearts take a moment to express sympathy for the deceased.”
How many sympathetic moments have you taken for that gentleman gunned down 50 times by the NYPD on his wedding day?
iMat-
I live in San Francisco, I know journalism and I am familiar with Mr. Kim’s work from TechTV (a now defunked TV channel) and I don’t know why this story was so widely covered either.
I think there are several things at work here.
There was a similar incident in the same area last year.
Mr. Kim worked for CNET, a well-known technology source that was the first to publicize the story and continually provided updates.
It is a very compelling story. I think anyone can empathize with being in that situation, the family’s fears, the courage it took to walk off the way he did, the ingenuity of leaving the markers the way he did and the frustration of not being able to find him. Also, he has two small children.
Something about the time of year too, I think. Christmas and all.
Americans like dramatic stories with very simple facts that anyone can understand. Remember when a little girl named Jessica McClure fell down an 8 inch pipe in her parent’s back yard in 1987? I can’t remember anyone who didn’t say: “What was the pipe doing open in the first place?” When I heard about the Kim’s disappearance I know I thought “Why would anyone go traipsing around the Oregon Wilderness in WINTER?” It’s hard to admit that, but it was what I was thinking.
It’s just sad.
My card to the family:
http://www.powerlovecards.com/Card Pages/emptyspaces.html
Joell, soldiers put their lives on the line for this country when they sign up. So do others in the military. This is a personal death, one that most here relate to because we all know it could be us. I am a veteran. You, Joell? We already know the story of lives lost in Iraq and Afganistan. And not just “ten u.s. soldiers.” The sadness is in the loss of what are now countless Iraqi’s, most innocent. Death is a reminder to all of us of how fragile our own lives are.
MW: “think”
It’s such a shame. He will be missed. I always enjoyed watching him on TechTV.
It’s also a shame that morons come out of the woodwork to grandstand, make fun, politicize, and otherwise behave inhumanely in circumstances like these. I’m amazed how incredibly mean people are.
Joell: Death of some of your country’s military personnel is part of the cost your country accepts when it decides to go to war, even before the deaths occur. A man heading out looking for help for his family in snowy conditions is a little different, though I suspect some of tragedies like it are equally inevitable (I don’t mean it had to happen, but inevitable in the sense that it does happen).
Sad news indeed.
The question should not be why this is big news. It simply has become big news, and now that tragedy has struck, let this educate people on what to do in such situation. My thoughts are always with the soldiers in Iraq. But the media cannot do much to help them. Only Bush & co can. But here’s a case in which the media can educate people on what to do when they become trapped in similar situations. Lives can be saved. Yours and mine next time we take a trip.
Never leave a stalled vehicle to wander around looking for help.
Never leave the relative safety of a group to wander off alone in the wilderness looking for help.
My condolences to his family and loved ones.
A very sad ending and sympathies to his family. Hopefully this is a lesson to everyone to not take unknown remote roads in areas that you aren’t familiar with. Stick to the main highways so at least if you run into any trouble along the way, you can be found in a reasonable amount of time.
And to the leftist idiots that love to turn everything into a political issue…suck it…
“Never leave a stalled vehicle to wander around looking for help. Never leave the relative safety of a group to wander off alone in the wilderness looking for help.”
Nekogami, I understand your thoughts behind this advice, but you also have to realize that the Kim family was stuck in the snow for more than a week with essentially no food before James went off looking for help.
Put yourself in his shoes – after a week with no sign of help, I think most people would ditch the advice and go for the attempt to find help. James did the right thing, until he decided that they simply couldn’t wait any longer.
My condolences to the family of Sean Bell who was slaughtered by the New York Police Department on Saturday, November 25th.
It’s unfortunate he died. It’s unfortunate he made the worst possible decision by leaving the car. I’m not really saddened, because really I have no connection to him whatsoever, and I doubt he felt nor do i care if he did feel anything when my family members died.
Death is part of life. But not this kind of death. I hope people become a little more aware of survival techniques because of this.
Tom Strong,
Troll, crawl back under that bridge you came out from under and stay there until you can be a civil human being and not a meat-headed jerk.
M’kay?
Asswipe…
He’s dead. Who care’s? Get a life. James Kim used to have one.
This is such a tragedy and I am horribly saddened by this. Yet I can’t believe the series of poor mistakes they made — driving down “shortcut” wilderness roads in the middle of winter even after the woman at the Chamber of Commerce told them not to travel that way; traveling with no food or winter supplies; not having a GPS system; leaving the car to look for help. Where was all their common sense??
You guys with the lack of empathy. Good fortune when it’s your turn.
Where is the MDN coverage of all the millions that die in Africa each year?
How is the Mac related? Jesus, another reason me to stop visiting this site. Aside for all the pop-ups, that is.
Lack of empathy? This story is covered on every other news outlet. Some of us come here to escape the daily tragedies and read about stuff that makes us happy – Macs (and other Apple-related news).
This is very sad. No one should have to die that way, especially so young. Tragedy is always just around the corner, you never know what is going to come next. Light a candle tonight for the Kims, and reflect on how precious your own life is.
Cute daughter, jolly looking fellow. It’s okay to express condolences to the surviving family who’ve suffered a devastating loss. As for Mr. Kim, he suffers no more in the great void where everyone before us and we too will end up. Can’t say the same about everyone after us.
Goodbye, Kim. You’re nothing to me but I understand you were everything to your family.
I have a wife and 2 kids of my own and and deeply saddened by this tragic event – even though I never met him or his family.
Being a parent, I know that when it comes down to saving your family, a parent will do absolutely anything to save them, even at the expense of their own life.
I know if it had me been in that situation I would have done anything to save my kids and wife.
Myself, my wife and my kids hearts go out to the Kim family.
Rest in peace friend.
Our sincere condolences.
Pete, Vicky, Matthew and Rosie Burrows
Hertfordshire
UK
OK, I was a bit angry that he left his car. But what really made me mad was the fact he wondered off the road and into the wilderness! I’m angry he died. But my condolences to the family and friends.
Let’s see:
Wife and kids stay with car – and are rescued.
Father leaves car – and dies in the wilderness.
A family tragedy ensues.
Media outlets go nuts.
We all shake our heads and murmur sympathy.
Conclusion: This was avoidable.
…”ten u.s. soldiers were killed today in iraq. || which story deserves national news coverage?”
Depends on your definition of “news.” I kept switching between CNN and Faux to watch coverage of the Iraq Study Group [aka Papa to the Rescue]. Apparently it was deemed more newsworthy in the former than the latter. Has O’Really made a comment about the <a href=”http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/12/06/cheney.daughters.ap/index.html”>daughter</i> of Cheney? Methinks he won’t.
“This is very sad. No one should have to die that way, especially so young.”
Yeah well millions do die this young and YOUNGER. If only they wrote half-assed articles for CNET so you’d get the chance to acknowledge them on MDN.
If James Kim was such a techie, where was his navigation system? Fscking moron should’ve had a TomTom.
the irony is that he was a tech guru that died because he had no GPS unit to help his way out …
RIP — best wishes to the family
R2, please die. Seriously, grab a knife and slice your neck open. Surely, if you don’t care about death so much, you won’t mind committing suicide?
You’d be doing us all a favor.
I’m not going to call him names but I thought that as a techie he was, It caught me surprise he didn’t have a mobile GPS.
If He had no souces he should of stayed in the car, eventually someone will come down that road, but jeeze, this is one tuff dude to make it Seven miles away in that freezing weather.
Someone here mentions which story should diserve better coverage, Kim or Iraq.
I would say KIM, at Least we knew he was actually doing something in SAVING his family, This showed bravery. He Knew He didn’t have to trail on foot for help, he wanted to do it, he felt he had a chance. Who agrees about a losing war that have amatuer boys that don’t even shave yet in another country while the politicians in Washington are in their nice warm offices AND GETTING A+ PROTECTION IN THE WHITE HOUSE. And Now there was a Senetor or someone related up there talking about drafts. Even though it may not happen, the situation in Irag is probably worst than we think.
It just feels wird to see a man like KIN on CNET always making reviews on products like Apple all the time and all of the Sudden POOF.
My respects to the Kim fasmily.
Sorry about the Typos!!!!!!!
That’s what happens when your stupid
.”ten u.s. soldiers were killed today in iraq.
which story deserves national news coverage?…”
And 20,000 ppl died of AIDS in Africa. STFU.
This was a really smart guy and he died doing what he thought was best, but he
made life-ending decisions. The car was the best chance they had. There is more resources there than the forest can provide. Block from the wind, some insulation, something there to burn. Combine that with close multiple body heat, movement, friction, moral support, and the positive knowledge that someone will be looking for you, the car was the best place to be. I would have written helicopter viewable messages in the snow and If they burned the tires to keep warm, I would have set the whole Redwood forest on fire if necessary and created smoke. Maybe they were disoriented after those days. Easy for me to say here in my warm chair. I feel for the guy’s family. They did’nt say how he died…I hope it wasn’t due to a bear or mountain lion.
“And to the leftist idiots that love to turn everything into a political issue…suck it…”
Yeah because its only the people on the LEFT that have a political agenda.
Dolt.
I never liked him, but it’s a shame such a bad thing happened to him. He should have staed with his family, I do not think what he did was heroic, i think it was stupid. Now his daughters are left without a father.
oh well, good luck to his family and condolances and all of that
I Know right, Completly changes the subject.
Why does it matter so much on what events diserves more attention. This is a guy who’s no outdoors guy and He thought he had a chance to save his family, even if it meant risking his life.
It might not of been the brightest decision but he does diserve the respect of not being name called.
Very sad, and condolences to the family. None of us know what our decison would be when pressed to the edge of our existance day after day with harsh conditons for days and no food and probably crying hungry children.
He probably thought about how he couldn’t live with himself if he had to watch his kids died first and he survived to be rescued. He’d have to second guess himself the rest of his life as to what else he could have, or should have done. Not easy to live with, and not an easy decision to make.
To those who posted that they’ll not read MDN anymore because of covering this story–well, I guess poor Kim’s death has already done something good for the world by getting you idiots off this great site.
MDN magic word: “POINT” as in GET IT?
I’m continually impressed, and not in a good way, with that segment of our population which has absolutely no compassion for another fellow human being. By that, I mean compassion for a single person. Not some conceptual BS of all the AIDS victims in Africa, or war deaths in a war, tragic as that is – it’s still a political game folks play.
The good thing is, there are still decent people, too. Fortunately, as this tragedy is being discussed, it’s all too easy to sort them out.
Peace, Love & respect to his family and friends.
Hey, to say again what has already been said above, he had already stayed in the car with his family for many days! After how many days is it OK to get out of the car and try something else? 9? 12? 34? 147? Stop calling him stupid for doing that! It sounds like he did the best that he could!
You’re right hg. Well put.
Blessings to Kati and the children. The spirit of James will live on in them.
…And 20,000 ppl died of AIDS in Africa. STFU…
And listeners would tune out if they keep getting told what they know already – i.e. not “news” anymore.
Some of the people on this board are what you think they are. Geeks. Caught up in their selfish, worthless, lazy and extreme time wasting world. Right there in their folks basement…playing video games, surfing porn. A loser. That is a fact. Some of you expressed compassion and I applaud you. Some of you are what is wrong with the world.
This board is fun some days. Other days it is a grim reminder not to associate with basically wicked people who think they know it all…when in reality they know nothing. That’s right. Lumps of flesh on a couch with a controller in their hand. A waste.
This is my last post ever. I feel dumber having been here.
P.S. Climb out of the chair, go outside. Move. Breath. Experience.
I just found out that Kim is from my home town. I watched Kim on Tech TV, and then on CNET and had no clue. Although that would explain why he was a UK fan. I wish to offer my deepest condolences to his family, and hope that the hype surrounding this will die down soon, so his family can get some peace, and begin the grieving process.
Cheers
You don’t know about the history of survival in the wilderness. I do.
What a shame that there are so many who lack the decorum to do anything other than express condolences or pause for reflection, within this particular thread.
My condolences to the family. Sad, sad day.
To the Ampar imposter. Not even close to being funny.
Maverick, your point is….?
“I’m continually impressed, and not in a good way, with that segment of our population which has absolutely no compassion for another fellow human being. By that, I mean compassion for a single person. Not some conceptual BS of all the AIDS victims in Africa, or war deaths in a war, tragic as that is – it’s still a political game folks play.”
The other day i posted a suport post for someone questioning the mac relevance of this store (since this is a tech n ews site), and while tragic i still feel the same…
Ralating to the above quote i feel stronger about the the price paid for the political/economic/religious games played out in the world today (and in history), because of the cyninsism it represents…
What happend to the Kim family was a tragiic accident and thousends of those happen every day, they could happen to us all and should be something we learn to remember (without the help of the media) as a way to cheerish all that we got (friends, family, life etc) and try to live not waste the time on envy, hatred and greed.
So for my peace here’s a thoght to all victims of cruelty by greed, fanatism, stupidity, cynisim and nore…
Think About Death…
Make Love… Not Hate
Well, that was certainly a compassionate expression. At least we know what camp you’re in. It’s one thing to lament indifference or ignorance or the lack of campassion in others – it’s another to insult and stereotype anyone as cartoonish characters, most likely based on someone you see everyday in the mirror. Hopefully, it IS your last post, but somehow I doubt it.
I would suggest getting out more yourself, maybe spend some time with a real person, a friend. But, that would mean you’d actually have to have a friend, so I can’t suggest that. Sorry, fella. Really, I am. You can still switch to Mac, though, (I know, I know… there’s the matter of image and all with your M$ slaves) and let your poor kids have iPods. At least something would be better in your sad, sad life.
And please, don’t take this out on a chair. They deserve some respect, too.
And there was “one more thing” i wanted to clarify. Since this has not been a major news story in europe (can’t speak for all of it however). And MDN did not report about the dissaperance but joined in only by the time the family was resued… So I for one did not understand it at all when I saw it here. And even after realising that many readers here were keen followers of James, I still don’t really see the reason it made iit onto MDN (surely c/net has a forum as well more suited for those who frequent that site and wishing to leave thier condolances).
So either leave these stories out (unless it involves MDN staff) or let it become a full on news site and then we wount be able to se the woods for all the trees.
Just my opinion not worth anymore or less than enyone elses…
And no harm or dis-respect intended to James or his famly
Peace
Man, how pathetic is it that in this technological age, this guy died because of POOR CELL RECEPTION!
He died because he walked through the woods in inclement weather and was ill-prepared to do so. It’s tragic and unfortunate, but not so much technology’s fault.
Kim was smarter than most of you morons. He was not stupid, he was heroic.
There was an unusual combination of circumstances that led to their getting lost and stranded. He waited 6 days to get rescued. Finally, he made a decision to try to save his family at all possible costs. Once they were reasonable settled (fire, some food, and a short-term plan for sustenance), he set out to help. His goal was to save his wife and kids, not himself. If the Kim family did not rent the helicopters, than the wife and kids may not have been found or a significant delay could have led to serious harm. Therefore, unless James wanted to possibly witness his wife and kids dying of starvation, dehydration, or exposure, he had to do something. Remember, he was out looking for help under the pretext that his was trying to save his still unrescued family.
Even mild hypothermia, exacerbated by dehydration, can do to someone’s coordination, sense of direction, and judgement. Trying walking through those woods after 8 shots of alcohol and see how far you get.
Millions of people die in Africa. Thousands of children are assaulted or exploited. The world is corrupt. Spies get poisoned. But here is an example of a community and nation coming together to to show empathy, sympathy, and support.
This is the last time I come to this site. The bookmark is gone, the RSS feed deleted.
Fuck you MDN. Fuck you MDN viewers.
Like I said, technology. I f his signal could’ve been picked up, authorites could’ve picked up his signal.
dog- seek help.
It was a very sad time for us when we learned that Mr. Kim’s body was found. More incredible was the fact that he was told that Bear Camp was a viable route to the coast. My family won’t take that road in the summer. much less so the winter. His is the third death I have heard of since the 90’s. One was a young man who stayed with his vehicle and starved to death as search parties turned back a short distance from where he was stranded.
What we cannot understand is how the big orange signs at the beginning of Merlin-Galice Road, as well as the four other warning signs that state “Bear Camp Road may be blocked by snow drifts.” could be missed. Not only that, why would any person stay on a one lane dirt road, because that is what it is.
It was tragic that this family has undergone such loss. I could not imagine raising my children alone. But the mistake that Mr. Kim made was not in leaving his car to look for help, but was in not continuing on another 3 Miles south on I-5 to Grants Pass and taking the Redwood highway to the coast. And that mistake was because someone told him that Bear Camp was a good road to take.
My prayers go out for Mrs. Kim and her children.
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