A week after 38-year-old Eugene Kim mysteriously disappeared, his parents made an emotional plea for their son to return home. They also said their young grandchildren will finally be told that their father is missing.
“Eugene, if you can hear me or [are] watching this, please come home,” his mother, Myung Sook Kim, told CP24 on Monday afternoon. “You know how much we love you.”
Kim, a father of two from Markham, Ont., was last seen by his family on the morning of Oct. 2. He had told them that he was going to be home late due to an important business meeting, but they have since discovered that he called in sick to work that day.
Police have traced a signal from Kim’s cell phone to a tower in North Bay, Ont. On Oct. 2, witnesses also saw Kim purchasing a camping permit at Algonquin Provincial Park, a place he had visited in the past. Kim was last in touch with his wife late that night, saying that he would be home “soon.”
Kim’s mother told CP24 that she is “puzzled” and that disappearing like this would be highly uncharacteristic of “such a family-loving guy.”
“He wouldn’t hide without any special reason,” she added. “He’s usually very good at telling… what he’s doing, how late he’s going to come home.”
Kim’s children, ages two and six, have so far been left in the dark about their father’s disappearance -- something that their mother, with the help of a child psychologist, planned to change Monday.
“Eugene’s wife is going to tell the kids today because the boys [have] been asking [a] lot of questions,” Myung Sook said.
Kim’s parents said that to the best of their knowledge, their son has never suffered from anything like depression. They also don’t think he would have vanished to simply get away from it all.
“If he did, why isn’t he coming back? Why doesn’t he contact us?” Myung Sook said. “That’s the question. He’d never do that.”
Kim is 5’9”, weighs 185 pounds, has black hair and wears glasses. He was last seen driving a black Nissan Rogue with the license plate BJJD 108. Anyone with information on his whereabouts is being urged to call York Regional Police at 905-881-1221 ext. 7200 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS. So far, police are treating this as missing persons case -- not a criminal investigation.
“Eugene, you know how much we love you,” his father, Yeon Soo Kim, who rushed back to Canada from a business trip in South Korea after learning his son had disappeared, said. “You know how much your kids [are] looking forward to [having you] come back... All of our community are expecting you [to] come safely home and [return to your] family.”
Until then, the family says their faith is keeping them afloat.
“We believe in God and we believe that Eugene will safely come back home sooner or later, so we are trying to stay very strong,” Myung Sook said.
With files from CP24
