Korean Job Discussion Forums

charlieDD · Joined: 16 Jun 2006 Location: Seoul, Korea

I've just noticed that Korea Town of Los Angeles, CA tends to get pretty bad press in television shows. I've seen it referred to several times in Shield over the years and each time not in very good light. It's been mentioned in Sopranos in an offhand remark about drug dealing. It was part of a situation in Six Feet Under, when the cop boyfriend of David is in a standoff at a house in KoreaTown. It's been featured in several Hollywood movies in a criminal-element way. In all these cases, the basic image was that it was a place of high crime.

I've never been there. Anyone who has, or knows: Is it really that bad? Or, is it just being picked on? I mean, there are other "towns" of other ethnicities that could be the scenes of crimes; why so consistently Korea Town?

I am not trolling here ! I'm truly curious.

seoulsucker · Posted: Mon Oct 23, 2006 7:41 pm Post subject:

"Koreatown is the Itaewon of LA, only much worse." Shocked

This is a direct quote from a friend who lived in Korea for almost 4 years and recently moved close to the neighborhood.

mateomiguel · Joined: 16 May 2005

i thought south central was the Itaewan of LA. Or Inglewood. I lived there for 2 years so I'm not speaking from ignorance.

I never went to Korea Town either Sad

. I had no interest in or knowledge of Korea at that time.

seoulsucker · Posted: Mon Oct 23, 2006 9:15 pm Post subject:

dogbert · Joined: 29 Jan 2003 Location: Killbox 90210

When I was last there in the early '90s, fewer than half the residents of what the City of L.A. defines as "Koreatown" were ethnic Koreans. The majority were central Americans and there were pockets of African Americans. Those ethnic Koreans who did live there tended to be quite poor or very recent immigrants. Any Koreans with means quickly moved to a better part of the city.

Therefore, the levels of crime were fairly high.

While there is certainly a large concentration of Korean-run and -themed business in Koreatown, you can be certain that most of the owners and patrons live elsewhere.

passport220 · Joined: 14 Jun 2006 Location: Gyeongsangbuk-do province

Yeah the problem largely steams from the fact that it is jammed right up against a lower income high crime Afro American neighborhood. If you remember during the Rodney King riots when the city burned there were a lot of images of Koreans standing arms linked with weapons in hand (or at least a Glock on their hip) on TV.

It seems most have moved to Northern Orange County near where the Interstates 405 and 5 merge (there is really a mix of Vietnamese and other Asians in this area).

Smee · Joined: 24 Dec 2004 Location: Jeollanam-do

SuperHero · Joined: 10 Dec 2003 Location: Superhero Hideout

and I'm sure that the central park area of New York is just like it is in friends - TV does not reflect reality.

badfish · Joined: 06 Dec 2005

please dont degrade new york by comparing it to Friends

ysl · Joined: 31 Aug 2006

koreatown is a shithole where all the young korean american thug wannabe's drink and drive, bars and clubs let you smoke inside, there are tons of underpaid immigrant laborers, a huge amount of luxury cars rolling around all the time.

people get stabbed once in a while, a lot of whites are starting to move in, there is an increasing amount of real estate redevelopment in koreatown as well fuled by the community redevelopment agency of los angeles and through foreign investment mostly from korea.

overall, it's a shithole and it's only 35% korean. the rest are mostly latino.

i only drive through it to get to a)hancock park b)beverly hills

jg · Joined: 27 May 2003

There are a lot of ignorant and way-off comments here, some by the usual suspects. Koreatown is a normal urban area - I live AND worked in mid-Wilshire until weeks ago, now I just live here. There are LOTS of Koreans who live here, work here, jockey for the scarce parking, etc. There are lots of Latinos too, but I wouldn't say that there is a huge majority of Latinos. If it weren't for Koreatown, this area would be either be really overpriced and gentrified like a lot of Hollywood, or kinda skanky like a lot of areas around downtown.

sjrm · Joined: 27 Jul 2005

koreatown isn't bad? it's next to dodger stadium which isn't exactly what i call an outstanding area. i lived in LA for 14 years, and koreatown always was and always will be a dump.

hugo_danner · Joined: 21 Jun 2006 Location: korea

PC Patrol alert!!!!!!!!!!! Shocked

ysl · Joined: 31 Aug 2006

ysl · Joined: 31 Aug 2006

plus what's wrong with the skanky areas? are you too good to live among the poor?

i find the "nicer" parts of downtown especially along the disney hall and the public library lacking in any sort of real human contact. go down to the fashion/toy/jewlery districts and you'll find that's where the true city of los angeles lives.