How Koreatown LA became the original

Los Angeles's Koreatown wasn't planned. The 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act opened the door, and in the 1970s pioneering Korean businesses along Olympic Boulevard — groceries, restaurants, and community institutions — began turning a fading mid-city district into a Korean commercial center. The city made the name official with 'Koreatown' designation signs in 1980.

The neighborhood was scarred by the 1992 civil unrest — remembered in the community as Sa-i-gu, 'April 29' — when Korean-owned businesses suffered devastating losses. K-town rebuilt itself block by block and came back denser, taller, and prouder.

Today Koreatown is one of the most densely populated neighborhoods in Los Angeles and the largest Korean district outside Korea: 24-hour restaurants and spas, basement noraebang, and a food scene that shapes how America eats Korean food.