Jung Shig Ryu, co-founder and former publisher of KoreAm Journal, died early this morning. He was 78 years old.
Ryu, along with his son James, started KoreAm 20 years ago this past April. The elder Ryu also partnered with his wife Grace to run South Bay Korean Community News, a Korean-language paper published out of Gardena, Calif., that ran columns and covered local events.
Ink was apparently in Ryu’s blood. Born in Chuncheon city in Gangwondo, in 1931, he held a bachelor’s degree in English literature. He first came to the United States in the 1960s to pursue his masters in newspaper and broadcasting at Syracuse University. He would return to the States as an immigrant in 1973 with his wife and three children. In 1977 he earned a Ph.D. in mass communications from the University of Oregon.
During the early days of KoreAm, the elder Ryu, who retired several years ago, held the titles of both publisher and editor, his bespectacled picture accompanying his Publisher’s Desks. “If Koreans strive to prosper only within the Korean community, we may encounter another riot,” he wrote in a January 1993 publisher’s note that referenced the Los Angeles riots eight months earlier. “If we want to enjoy a sound and comfortable community life, we should learn how to help each other. Cooperation with others and other communities/races is the only answer to future prosperity.”
Ryu, a devout Christian, wrote several books that were published in South Korea, including You, Me and God, Beautiful Revolution and Beautiful Relationship. He also published Beautiful Tidings in the United States.
He is survived by his wife Grace, his children Alex, James and Carolyn, daughter-in-law Tammy, son-in-law Paul Naret, and six grandchildren. The staff of KoreAm sends its condolences to the Ryu family and honors Dr. Ryu’s contributions to Koreans in America. We end with his words, penned 17 years ago:
“Remember our hope is in us, people. We may need leaders and politicians, even stars or heroes. However, we should not put our hope in politicians or heroes alone. They may and will disappoint us. And yet there is hope as long as we believe in us, because we are the ones that make this community better, healthier and more harmonious.”
