By K.R. “Ravi” Ravindran, 2015-16 president of Rotary International
Rotary has lost not only a leader of extraordinary promise, but above all, a man of rare goodness and grace.
SangKoo was a dear friend. His passing leaves a void that words cannot fill. He had been elected to serve as president of Rotary International in 2026–27, yet he never had the chance to lead from that highest office. Still, in the way he lived, in the way he served, and in the way he touched lives across continents, he had already led us all.
Born into a family of distinction — his father served as president of Korea — SangKoo was raised with discipline and a deep sense of duty. He earned his master’s degree in architecture from Syracuse University, received an honorary doctorate from the University of Edinburgh, and went on to build a company in construction materials and engineering that bore the stamp of his vision and integrity.
The world noticed. Queen Elizabeth II conferred on him the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire. The president of Mongolia awarded him the Friendship Medal. His own nation honored him with a meritorious commendation from both the president and prime minister of the Republic of Korea. He served three years in the South Korean army and was honorably discharged. And in his church, he found his spiritual anchor, serving as senior elder at Andong Presbyterian.
For all these honors, SangKoo remained the most unpretentious of men. He carried his accomplishments lightly, with the humility that only true greatness allows. He was at ease everywhere — whether sitting cross-legged on the floor in a remote village sharing a simple meal, or standing in a grand hall in a tuxedo, addressing leaders of state. He connected people across every divide.
Rotary was his deepest passion. He personally traveled to 36 countries to nurture projects and see them through. His work in Mongolia, building windbreaker forests against the encroaching desert, is legendary — requiring over 30 journeys into rugged terrain. Once, when his jeep overturned there, gravely injuring a fellow Rotarian, SangKoo bore the sorrow of that moment as his own. Because for him, service was never abstract — it was personal.
To his beloved wife, Eunsun, who stood by him with courage and devotion, we offer our deepest sympathies. To his family, who shared him so generously with the world, may you take solace in the legacy he leaves behind. And to his mentor, Past President D. K. Lee, we know this loss cuts to the bone, for you have lost not only a protégé but a son in spirit.
We who remain behind resolve to honor your memory not in words alone, but in deeds of service, compassion, and love.
Read a memorial to Yun on My Rotary.
https://blog.rotary.org/2025/09/09/a-tribute-to-sangkoo-yun-friend-and-inspirational-leader/