Hard Work, Allegiance to a Credo--and Death

Be brave as you venture into a new country. Give your children more than you’ve been given.

Hong Sik Shin died Wednesday night, trying to live according this immigrant credo, his family said.

His last act in life: ringing up $2.41 on the cash register in his Rosemead grocery and liquor store.

A gunman, in an apparent robbery attempt, leveled a pistol at Shin and fired once, striking him in the chest. Shin, 44, died almost immediately, said Los Angeles sheriff’s detectives, who were searching Thursday for the gunman and his companion.

When Shin brought his family from Seoul in 1987, the advice from his relatives and friends was: Work hard and save for the future.

Shin took those words to heart.

Dutifully he worked at the Deluxe Liquor store, arriving at 8 a.m., staying until 11 p.m. On weekends, he worked until 2 a.m.

For three years, the Shin family labored at the small store, keeping shelves stocked, retiling the floor, putting up elaborate displays. They kept the market scrubbed spotless.

All day long, Shin and wife, Myung Ok, labored together, separated only for occasional spells during which one would rest or fix meals.

Fifteen minutes before the shooting, Myung Ok Shin went home to prepare the family’s dinner and to check on sons Frank, 16, and Simon, 13.

Thursday afternoon, Simon said that he, his brother and mother were meeting with relatives at a Korean church in the South Bay to pray for Hong Sik Shin, who, his family said, gave more than he had been given.