North Shore Rescue has temporarily paused the search for an 84-year-old man, Won Kil Kim, who went missing from trails near Grouse Mountain. Kim, a Surrey resident, was last seen on the Dam or Little Goat Alpine Trail on Sunday, Nov. 16.
Despite being familiar with the area and having visited it frequently, concerns arose that Kim might have had an accident or gotten lost. Search Manager Allan McMordie of NSR revealed that volunteers spent hours strategizing on how to expand the search efforts. However, due to forecasted rain, any further search operations will be delayed until Sunday.
Rescue crews have faced challenges such as heavy cloud cover, hindering the use of drones and helicopters. NSR utilized a device called Lifeseeker to track cellphones beyond tower range but were unable to locate Kim’s phone as it was powered off.
Kim’s movements up to Grouse Mountain were traced, but his whereabouts beyond a trail image taken at 12:20 p.m. on Sunday remain unknown. Described as a 5’5″, 140-pound man wearing a grey rain jacket, purple gloves, and using hiking poles, Kim’s disappearance has sparked a search effort.
Authorities urge anyone with information on Kim’s location to contact the Surrey Police Service or Crime Stoppers, quoting file number 2025-63477 (SU).