Byung Soo Kim, who celebrated his 21st birthday Friday night by drinking 20 shots of Scotch whisky in 10 minutes, died Monday morning.
Kim, a University of Michigan engineering student, died at the University of Michigan Medical Center after registering a blood alcohol level of .39, almost four times the legal limit.
Kim was trying to drink a shot for every year of his life, but passed out after 20 shots. Friends called 911 because he didn’t appear to be breathing. A second man, who was found unconscious with Kim, was recovering Monday.
Kim’s parents, medical doctors from Seoul, South Korea, flew to Michigan on Sunday afternoon to be with their son. The family spent a year in Ann Arbor in the 1980s as visiting scholars and said Kim enjoyed that time in Ann Arbor so much he decided to attend U-M after graduating from high school in Virginia.
“We would like to emphasize that this incident does not represent our son’s usual behavior,” Kim’s parents said in a written statement. “He did not drink regularly and according to his friends was often the one to take care of friends who had had too much to drink.
“It is our heartfelt desire that the community can learn a lesson from this tragedy and reach out to those who need help.”
Amy Blasen, an attending physician at Sparrow Hospital, said Kim’s life may have been saved if his friends had known what symptoms to look for.
The early signs of severe intoxication include slurred speech and reduced coordination. Once the body begins to absorb the alcohol at a steady rate, the drinker will have trouble breathing because of high blood pressure.
Blasen said many of the alcohol-related emergencies she sees are college students who haven’t watched how much they’ve been drinking.
“It’s a general problem on college campuses,” Blasen said. “A lot of it has to do with people thinking it’s a rite of passage to go out drinking, which is too bad.
“It’s a nationwide problem, not just Michigan campuses.”
Kim’s death comes two years after the death of Bradley McCue. McCue was an MSU junior who died after drinking 24 shots to celebrate his 21st birthday. McCue’s parents, Cindy and John, created B.R.A.D. - Be Responsible About Drinking - to help prevent future tragedies.
One program the McCue’s have initiated through B.R.A.D is sending cards to college students approaching their 21st birthday. Thirty-four colleges across the nation participate in their birthday card program.
The University of Michigan does not.
In a 1999 U-M Student Life Survey, 45 percent of undergraduate students reported an episode of binge drinking in the past two weeks. U-M has initiated programs to curb binge drinking among college students through the Substance Abuse Education Network.
During a press conference, U-M Provost Nancy Cantor said the university is providing counseling for friends and family.
“At this time, our greatest concern is for Mr. Kim’s family and for our student community,” Cantor said. “Our whole community is grieving over this terrible occurrence.”
A memorial service for Kim will be held today at 7 p.m. in the First Congregational Church in Ann Arbor.
Jamie Gumbrecht, can be reached at gumbrec1@msu.edu.
