Kwan Ha Yim ’57

Kwan Ha Yim ’57 passed away in Valley Cottage, New York, on March 25, 2015. He was born in North Korea in 1929. He was forced to flee to South Korea when he was 18. He lived there as a refugee for three years before serving in the South Korean Army, where he earned a U.S. Bronze Star for valor. Kwan Ha came to the United States in 1954 and entered Dartmouth. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa in 1957. He then attended Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, receiving his Ph.D. in 1963. For the next 50 years he was a professor at Manhattanville College in Purchase, New York. Kwan Ha was devoted to the peace and human rights movement in Korea. An avid writer, he wrote books on Asian politics and contributed articles on Korean politics to the letters page of The New York Times for 25 years. He served as special assistant to former South Korean opposition leader Kim Young-sam, who later became president of South Korea. Kwan Ha leaves his wife of 53 years, Elizabeth; sons Anthony ’84, Richard ’85, Andrew and Peter; and four grandsons.