Born in Japan in 1941, Bongsook grew up in the port city of Mokpo, Korea, with her large family of seven siblings. She majored in Pharmacy at the Ewha Women’s University in Seoul. Shortly after graduation, she married her first husband, Park Moonsik, who was a government trade official, and subsequently had two children, Kyungnan and Hyunsuk. Bongsook’s young family moved to Miami in 1978 for what was to be Moonsik’s short-term official appointment, but he passed away unexpectedly in November of that year. Choosing to stay in America for her children’s education, Bongsook relocated to New York City and endeavored, successfully, to obtain her license to practice Pharmacy in the US.

While working as a pharmacist at the Elmhurst Hospital in Queens, Bongsook was introduced to Dr. Youngsung Hong through a mutual friend. In 1996, they married, and she moved to Newport News, VA.

A devoted wife through and through, Bongsook always strove to be a loving presence in the lives of all her children, including Dr. Hong’s three sons, Peter, David, and John from his first marriage, and her grandchildren. Throughout it all, she never lost her thirst for knowledge and improving her skills. She was an accomplished scratch golfer, winning her country club championship one year. In addition to her immense interest in the classical arts (music, art, and dance), she read voraciously about the world of finance, becoming an amateur economist and a formidable stock trader in recent years.
 
She is survived by her husband, five children, her daughter-in-law, five grandchildren, and three siblings.