Computer science student was described as ‘always smiling’

by Megan DeSario and Matt Wargin
Senior writers

Graduate student Joonkyoo Yoo, 32, was found dead in his home Thursday. The apparent cause of death was suicide, according to the Champaign County Coroner’s office. Yoo was pronounced dead at Covenant Hospital.

According to Bill Murphy, associate chancellor for public affairs, Yoo enrolled in the University’s graduate school in the fall of 1993. Yoo came to the University from Korea as a doctoral candidate in computer science and had a particular interest in the research of concurrency and parallel computing, according to Gul Agha, associate professor of computer science. Agha had worked with Yoo for the past five years.

"He was a very pleasant person," Agha said. "Always smiling, always gracious and kind." Agha added that Yoo was a sharp student who performed well academically.

According to graduate student Nadeem Jamali, who worked with Yoo at the Digital Computer Lab, Yoo was one of the top students at the institution he attended in Korea. Jamali said Yoo was working on debugging techniques and formerly had an assistantship at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications.

Yoo’s wife said the people who knew her husband knew him as the kind of person who smiled all the time.

"He was a sweet young guy," she said.

The couple had been married for almost three years and have no children.

"He was a relatively quiet, soft-spoken person," Agha said.

"And very, very gentle."

"He was a wonderful guy who was always very concerned about everyone ... always asking if everyone was OK," Jamali said. "I just wish someone would’ve asked him how he was feeling that day."

Jamali said Yoo was in his office at the Digital Computing office the day before he died.

"He was smiling that day," Jamali said. "But he must have needed someone to talk to."

Murphy urged anyone feeling stressed or under pressure to seek help.

"There are people here to help," Murphy said.

Tom Seals, director of the University’s Counseling Center, said anyone who knew Yoo and is dealing with emotionally difficult reactions is encouraged to contact the Counseling Center at 333-3704.

"It’s a tragedy whenever we lose a member of the University community in this way," Murphy said.