Sam Shin (Korean name: Shin Sang-hoon), who has thrown his hat into the ring for California State Senate District 26, defines his life as “a continuous journey of service.” Born in 1958 in Uijeongbu, South Korea, he grew up in the care of relatives due to difficult family circumstances. The hardships of his childhood left him with wounds, but they also became the foundation for his deep understanding of others’ pain.

In the sixth grade of elementary school, he faced a major turning point in his life. Through his aunt’s arrangement, he was adopted by a Polish-American family and moved to Alaska. Living under the name “Sang Masog” in a strange land with an unfamiliar language and culture, he recalled, “Everything was frightening, but I couldn’t give up.” Despite language barriers and cultural shock, he quietly continued his studies and graduated from high school.

After graduation, he enlisted in the U.S. Army and served as a military policeman. He then began his career in public service with the Anchorage Police Department. In particular, as an undercover officer cracking down on drug crimes, he devoted himself to protecting the safety of the community. In 1988, the year of the Seoul Olympics, he moved to Southern California, where he worked on the gang suppression team and the SWAT (Special Weapons and Tactics) unit at the Santa Ana Police Department, experiencing even more intense field operations.

His police career was not always smooth. He had to confront discrimination and prejudice within the organization and deliberately volunteered for the departments that others avoided in order to strengthen himself. Candidate Sam Shin said, “I believed that the more difficult the place, the more I needed to be there.” After completing 21 years of public service, he faced another major turning point. He felt “God’s calling” and entered the path of ministry.

Currently, he serves as a pastor at Sam Central Community Church, a multi-ethnic church located between Vermont Avenue and 1st/2nd Street in Los Angeles’ Koreatown. For the past 23 years, his ministry has focused on caring for wounded neighbors and restoring the community. A notable example of his “faith in action” was his service as president of the Southern California Christian Council in 2025, where he raised $180,000 to help victims of the LA wildfires.

He has also devoted himself to nurturing the next generation as president of the Hwarang Youth Foundation, a leading Korean-American youth organization. His decision to enter politics was unexpected even for himself. When the incumbent Democratic senator announced a run for LA County Supervisor, District 26 became vacant. Early this year, after receiving requests from California Republican Party officials, he made the decision to run after deep consideration. The reason, he said, was that “as a pastor, the requests to restore broken families and protect parental rights remained heavy on my heart.”

On March 2, just before the filing deadline, he completed his candidate registration. Although only 40 signatures were required, he unexpectedly received support from 450 people in a short time. District 26 is a large electoral district that includes LA Koreatown, Little Tokyo, Chinatown, Filipinotown, and other diverse Asian communities. Approximately one million residents live there, with Hispanics forming the majority, Asians making up about 12%, and Koreans around 7%. He emphasized, “The most important task is to unite these diverse voices into one.”

He has set up his campaign office at Koreatown Plaza and is meeting voters under the name “Sang (Sam Shin) Masog.” He stated, “Regardless of party affiliation, family and safety are values that matter to everyone,” and added, “There is no difference between Republicans and Democrats when it comes to supporting small business owners.”

Mail-in voting begins on May 4, and the primary election will be held on June 2. His goal is clear: “To advance to the top two based on strong support from the Korean community and proceed to the November runoff.” Running as a Republican in a heavily Democratic area is by no means easy. However, he calmly said, “My goal is not merely to get elected, but to practice politics that saves people.

”Finally, he made this appeal to the Korean community: “I want to pave the way so that one day our children can become President of the United States. I will be that small stepping stone.”