1900s–1980s In 1882, the United States and Korea established the
United States-Korea Treaty of 1882, which ended Korea's self-imposed isolation. The establishment of diplomatic relations between the United States and Korea paved the way for Korean immigration to Hawaii in the late 1880s. In the early 1900s, Korean immigrants began making their way to Los Angeles, where they created communities based around ethnic churches. As the number of Koreans increased to the hundreds, their residential and commercial activities spread to the southwestern corner of the Los Angeles business district, putting them within walking distance of
Little Tokyo and
Chinatown. By the 1930s, approximately 650 Koreans resided in Los Angeles. However,
racial covenant laws and economic constraints limited Korean residents to an area bounded by Adams Boulevard to the north, Slauson Avenue to the south, Western Avenue to the west, and Vermont Avenue to the east. The 1930s also saw the height of the area's association with
Hollywood. The
Ambassador Hotel hosted the
Academy Awards ceremony in 1930, 1931, 1932, and 1934. As the entertainment industry grew in the surrounding Koreatown area, Koreans remained segregated into low-income districts because of discriminatory housing policies. After the 1948
Shelley v. Kraemer Supreme Court case prohibited racially restrictive housing policies, Koreans began to move north of Olympic Boulevard to establish new homes and businesses. They found inexpensive housing and many opened businesses in Koreatown. Many of the area's Art Deco buildings with terracotta facades were preserved because they remained economically viable with the new commercial activity that occupied them. and the residents successfully lobbied for the installation of the first Koreatown sign in 1982. On March 16, 1991, a Korean store owner, Soon Ja Du, shot and killed a 15-year-old Black customer,
Latasha Harlins. Du accused Harlins of stealing orange juice, and after watching her put down the jug and turn to leave, shot her in the head. Some historians view Du's posting bail as the breaking point in tensions. The
1992 Los Angeles riots stimulated a new wave of political activism among Korean-Americans, but also split them into two camps. The liberals sought to unite with other minorities in Los Angeles to fight against
racial oppression and
scapegoating. The conservatives emphasized
law and order and generally favored the economic and social policies of the
Republican Party. The conservatives also tended to emphasize the political differences between Koreans and other minorities, specifically Blacks and Hispanics. Despite this divide within the Korean American community, the 1992 riots also inspired further efforts to build coalitions. The 1992 Koreatown Peace Rally was a record-setting demonstration with over 30,000 attendees representing intergenerational and interethnic solidarity. The week-long rioting and looting destroyed much of Koreatown. There was $50 million worth of damage done, half of which was on Korean-owned businesses. During the riots, roads between Koreatown and safer neighborhoods were blocked off. Some Korean-Americans speculated that they were being trapped in the danger. One resident said, "It was containment. The police cut off traffic out of Koreatown, while we were trapped on the other side without help. Those roads are a gateway to a richer neighborhood. It can't be denied." An 18-year-old Korean American, Edward Song Lee, and his three friends went to protect a Korean-owned pizza shop, along with other store owners and volunteers who would constitute the
rooftop Koreans. Lee was accidentally shot to death by Korean shopkeepers who mistook him and his friends for looters. Hyungwon Kang captured a photograph of Lee's body in the street. The 1992 unrest had a significant impact on the community, solidifying the importance of community-based nonprofit organizations, such as the Koreatown Youth and Community Center (KYCC) and
Koreatown Immigrant Workers Alliance (KIWA) (see Community Organizations section). These organizations advocated for reparations and protections for Korean Americans, who received little support from government authorities as a result of their low social status and language barrier.
2000s–present In late 2008, the City of Los Angeles designated Koreatown a special graphics district (along with Hollywood and the downtown neighborhood of
South Park/LA Live). The designation allows for digital signage and electronic billboards, not permitted by
city code, to be installed on building facades. The designation allowed
Times Square and
Shibuya District-inspired buildings lined with
LCD jumbotrons. The 300-square block graphics district is bordered by
6th Street and
Olympic Boulevard on the north and south respectively, and St. Andrews Place and Shatto Place on the west and east respectively. The construction of the
Robert F. Kennedy Community Schools at the former site of the Ambassador Hotel highlighted the challenge of balancing resource expansion with business development and historic preservation. but the $578 million construction cost made the complex the most expensive public school in United States history. Other developments, such as the opening of new metro stations, shopping centers, and strip malls, have made Koreatown a popular tourist destination while also increasing economic inequality for locals. it is not unusual to find Latino employees in restaurants and
grocery stores speaking Korean with customers or Korean store owners engaging Latino customers in Spanish. An example of a cultural interchange between Koreans and Latinos in Koreatown is the popularity of Korean-inspired
taco trucks in Los Angeles that feature classic
Mexican food infused with Korean ingredients. ==Geography==