Service Held for Victim of Shooting

FULLERTON — One day after she was gunned down by a former co-worker, Mee Hwa Hong was remembered Saturday as a smart and independent businesswoman who put her family first.

“She was a very family-oriented person,” said her youngest brother, Charles Yoon, during a quiet memorial service held in Hong’s home. Family and fellow church members gathered before a painting of a large cross, and mourners were surrounded by flickering candles, flowers and the strong scent of burning incense.

Yoon, of Aliso Viejo, said family members were still grappling with their grief over the loss of Hong, 40, and the near-fatal injuries suffered by their brother, Edward Yoon, 46, of San Juan Capistrano, who was working alongside his sister at the time of the shooting.

The shooting took place shortly before 11 a.m. Friday, when gunman Soon Byung Park, 36, also of Aliso Viejo, walked into Edward Yoon’s office at Yoonimex Inc., an embroidery business in Santa Fe Springs, and opened fire. He later took his own life, police said.

Authorities said Park had helped Edward Yoon start the company also known as U.S. Embroidery Co. about four years ago. Park had recently been demoted by Yoon, and when he was fired about a month ago following a dispute over his performance co-workers said they heard him threaten to retaliate by killing Edward Yoon and committing suicide.

On Friday, authorities believe he made good on his threat.

Hong was pronounced dead shortly after being shot twice. Her brother was rushed to Harbor-UCLA Medical Center in Torrance, where he underwent emergency surgery and remained in critical but stable condition Saturday, nurses said.

“We’re still going through a tough time and it’s not over yet,” Charles Yoon said Saturday. He said Hong enjoyed a warm relationship with her brothers, and was especially attached to her older brother, Edward Yoon, with whom she worked closely.

She was crucial to helping Edward Yoon’s business succeed, her brother said.