By Bae Ji-sook
Staff Reporter
The slain hostage Shim Sung-min was one of the two people Japanese broadcaster NHK interviewed three days ago. In the interview, he said he didn't know where he was, but that he was inside a house and the others weren't eating well. He was considered to be in a better condition than the others.
Shim Jae-in, the victim's grandfather, was an independence fighter when Korea was under colonial Japanese rule from 1910 to 1945. He protested against the Japanese colony's agricultural policy in 1930s and his pro-independence achievement was posthumously recognized in the 1980s.
The 29-year old Shim is also said to have had a passion for agriculture. He studied engineering in Gyeongsang National University and worked at Corecess, an information-technology company, but recently quit to study agriculture at a graduate school.
Shim's friends and family recalled him as a quiet, but stern person with a strong will.
His father said that his son had always had sympathy for the poor. Since his aunt suffered from very poor eyesight, he had a heart for physically challenged people and worked with them. Last year, he went to the Philippines for five days to work as a volunteer with his colleagues.
His death was a grave shock for the family as he is said to have not told his family about the trip but just called his mother later to tell her not to worry. He was kidnapped shortly after the telephone call.
After the Taliban announced as extension on the deadline, Shim's family, including his mother Kim Mi-ok, father and South Gyeonggnam provincial assembly member Shim Jin-pyo, returned home to take a rest. However, the breaking news took them back to their office in Bundang, Gyeonggi Province, where they got confirmation of his death from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
``He always knew what to do and always did well,'' Shim Hyo-min, Shim's younger brother said.