But community anger at the attack has turned to outrage over the handling of an extraordinary offer by the Shins to accept an apology from the boy rather than see him charged, and news they are selling their shop and leaving the area.

"My wife is still shocked. I want to forget a bad memory," Mr Shin, a former Korean Army lieutenant, high school teacher and counsellor, said.

Terrigal residents, including writer Nikki McWatters, have demanded answers after a senior police officer was quoted in a local media article describing the vicious attack as "children doing the wrong thing", and the teenager's mother was quoted saying her son had only "accidentally elbowed" Mrs Shin, but had cried, apologised and realised "how silly he was".

"In anyone's language, a 17-year-old punching a middle-aged Korean man in the face while calling him a "f---ing Asian" is racist," McWatters wrote in a blog on Saturday that was viewed more than 100,000 times.

"To have his mother, the police and the media suggesting otherwise lets this kid off the hook, enables his behaviour and screams of trivialising racism in this community. And I won't have it. Terrigal won't have it."

The vicious bashing occurred after months of vandalism at the general store the Shins have operated for the past five years, forcing them to replace windows with shutters and a solid door.

The attack on January 23 occurred at 10pm. Brisbane Water Police arrested the 17-year-old.

Mr and Mrs Shin received treatment in hospital. Four days later, Mr Shin still had a black eye and extensive bruises on his arm and upper chest, while his terrified wife left the area to live with their son until the shop is sold.

Four days after the attack, Mr Shin told the Newcastle Herald he had not yet made a statement to police in the hope the teenager would apologise and avoid being charged.

The teenager was at a crossroads where he could "go a good way or a dark way", Mr Shin said.

"I don't want him to go the dark way. I want to give him a chance. I hope he has a good life."

Mr Shin made his statement to police and said he would accept an apology rather than see the 17-year-old charged. The apology occurred several days later.

"He said he was sorry and he would never do it again. I said I forgave him everything," Mr Shin said.

Several days after the apology, he invited the teenager and his mother to a second meeting after seeing the teenager absent from school.

He urged the youth to attend school and learnt that he hoped to join the army. He encouraged the teenager's mother to support him in attending school.

Mr Shin was reluctant to speak about the impact of the article on Friday in which Brisbane Water Superintendent Daniel Sullivan was quoted saying "clearly an offence has taken place", but it wasn't "racially based".

The incident was "children doing the wrong thing", and "the boy who attacked [Mr Shin] did what he did out of stupidity".

The article also quoted Superintendent Sullivan crediting the mother with the apology and praising her for "some responsible parenting".

Mr Shin strongly disputed the mother's view that injuries to Mrs Shin occurred only because she "tried to step in" after her son hit Mr Shin and was "accidentally elbowed by my son".

Mr Shin did not want to comment about the mother's view that the three other teenagers were "innocent" and deserved praise for their actions on the night.

McWatters said she had been amazed at the response to her blog. The overwhelming view was that both police and the media had handled the incident badly, she said.

"The article panders to the attacker and his mother and nowhere talks of the terror, the nightmares and the post traumatic shock of Paul and his wife who are having to sell their store and their livelihood," McWatters said.

The Newcastle Herald has sent questions to NSW Police Media, which is preparing a response.

Newcastle Herald