Resources to give you a further look at Koreatown and maybe even your own familiar stomping grounds.
Kim 5 Top 5
Tour Intro (password required)
The transcript of the introduction to the Urban Plunge Koreatown Tour is available here. Password: Oriental Mission Church is on the corner of Western and what side street? (Case-sensitive.)
Kim 5 Top 5
The Kim family has grown in number since we called Koreatown home but the original five share our top five go-to’s in and around the old neighborhood.
Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown, Season 1, Episode 2
Google Play, $1.99
Anthony Bourdain explores Koreatown and its eclectic mixture of cultures from a pretty spot-on, albeit testasterone-blasted angle, with celebrity chef Roy Choi (creator of Kogi, the gourmet Korean taco truck) and artist David Choe. See free clips of the episode here and here.
Fire during the LA Riots
LA Riots, In Our Own Words
Korean Americans refer to the LA Riots of April 1992 as Saigu (“4-9-2”). This KoreAm Journal article by Eugene Yi features a series of oral recollections from those who witnessed the unfolding of the events first-hand.
Photo © Hyungwon Kang
Deaths During the LA Riots
1992 was the deadliest year to date in Los Angeles County history, with civil unrest being a contributing factor. Los Angeles Times has put together this spreadsheet detailing the LA Riots-related deaths.
Clash of Colors: LA Riots of 1992
20 years later, filmmaker David D Kim revisits the LA Riots through his feature-length documentary film. The entire documentary is available for online viewing at the bottom of his article, Korean American Identity Defined by LA Riots.
KYCC volunteer
Koreatown Youth + Community Center
KYCC, established in 1975, is a multi-service organization that serves recently immigrated, economically disadvantaged children, youth and their families in Koreatown and surrounding areas. It promotes community-based socioeconomic empowerment.
Photo via kycc.org
Little Bangladesh Must Grow into Its Name
In light of the 20,000 Bangladeshis who live in the area as of 2005, the City of Los Angeles officially established Little Bangladesh within the borders of Koreatown in 2010. Los Angeles Times journalist Raja Abdulrahim discusses the future growth of this enclave.
Korean skincare
The Truth About the Korean Beauty Routine
Okay, so this doesn’t really have anything to do with Koreatown specifically but it is a well-known fact that Koreans are dae-bak (대박 = “awesome”) when it comes to skincare and food (see below). This Coveteur article breaks down the beauty import dubbed “10 Steps” with the founders of Peach and Lily and SoKoGlam weighing in with their expertise.
Photo via sokoglam.com
Maangchi.com
Koreatown is at the beck and call of every Angeleno’s Korean culinary cravings 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For those times you want to try your hand at whipping up a homemade Korean dish, YouTube sensation Emily Kim — better known as Maangchi (“hammer”) — provides easy-to-follow instructions for practically anything your heart desires.
On Looking
On Looking: Eleven Walks with Expert Eyes
amazon.com, $19.89
Alexandra Horowitz goes on eleven walks in her Manhattan neighborhood with various experts, including an urban sociologist, an artist, a geologist, a physician and even a dog. “What they see, how they see it, and why most of us do not see the same things reveal the startling power of human attention and the cognitive aspects of what it means to be an expert observer.” (Amazon synopsis)