Kim Kyusik was born near Busan, South Korea, in 1881, and became an orphan at a young age. A Presbyterian missionary, educator, and translator named Horace Grant Underwood took Kyusik under his wing and taught the boy English. When he was just 16 years old, Kyusik moved to the United States and enrolled at Roanoke College. The school’s website notes that Kyusik was “beloved socially” on campus, and “excelled academically” in his studies. He graduated from Roanoke College in 1903, and then continued his studies at Princeton University in New Jersey. A historical marker located on the Roanoke College campus on High Street speaks to Kyusik’s influence on world affairs, noting in part: “After Japan annexed Korea in 1910, Kim served the Provisional Korean Government based in China as secretary of foreign affairs, and later as minister of education and vice president. He advocated Korean independence at the Paris Peace Conference in 1919, promoted the Korean cause in the US as chair of the...