Kim Tae Hyun was his given name. All his friends and family knew him by the name he chose, Henry Kim. He was born in Incheon, Korea on May 19th, 1926, and passed away peacefully in San Diego, on October 11th, 2020, with his family by his side.

He was an industrial and marine engineer for most of his life but was a lifelong inventor and entrepreneur. Along with a strong work ethic, he always had a solution for any challenge and received many commendations when he worked with the US Army. His life and work took him all over the world, but he eventually made San Diego his home in 1983. It was where he and his wife of 48 years, Lynn Kim, made a home and started ESMI. It was at ESMI, that he found his true calling for developing specialized processes and novel tools that eventually turned to patented technologies.

He was a devout Seventh Day Adventist. As a passionate reader, he read in Korean, English, Chinese, and Japanese. He loved classical music, The Glenn Miller Orchestra, westerns, Charlton Heston movies, and The Three Stooges. He was many different things to many people, loving husband to his wife, a great father to his children, a father figure to many, a good neighbor, and a loyal friend. However, his favorite role in life was grandfather.