What this article is not telling readers is that many of the Korean-American owned businesses in LA’s Koreatown use illegal immigrant labor, especially from Latin-American countries. This is the primary reason the Korean American Federation is speaking out against the ICE raids:
US federal immigration authorities conducted a series of coordinated enforcement operations across Los Angeles on Friday, including in neighborhoods with a high concentration of Korean American-owned businesses. The move has raised concerns within the local Korean diaspora.
The raids reportedly targeted areas in downtown Los Angeles’ fashion district, commonly referred to as the “Jobber Market,” where several Korean American-run wholesale clothing stores are located.
In a statement released the same day, the Korean American Federation of Los Angeles condemned the enforcement actions, describing them as “unilateral and heavy-handed.”
“These actions by ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) disregard proper legal procedures,” the organization said. “We urgently call on our local elected officials to take action and provide solutions to this crisis. In addition, we will work closely with local organizations to ensure that no individuals are unjustly harmed.”
“Even individuals who struggle with English or are unable to provide identification immediately are reportedly being arrested or detained first,” the organization added. “This has caused significant harm and confusion, not only among Korean nationals but also among local residents.”
You can read more at the link, but what do ROK Heads think would happen in Korea if a bunch of Americans started attacking Korean law enforcement while waving U.S. flags?
It is amazing how fast her run times are at her age:
At 76 years old, Jeannie Rice is still setting age group world records and altering what we thought we knew about aging and running. She currently owns the world record for every distance between the 1500 meters and the marathon. It’s not just that Rice is fast for her age—and just plain speedy, full stop. She’s also not seeing the decline in speed you’d typically expect for a septuagenarian runner. That’s why, when UK-based researchers learned that Rice would be racing the London Marathon last April, they pounced on the opportunity to study what biomarkers and physical characteristics set her apart from her peers.
Six days after she set a new age-group world record in the marathon, running a time of 3:33:27 (averaging 8:08 miles), Rice agreed to visit an exercise lab in England where she underwent body fat measuring, treadmill testing, and other running and jumping assessments. In the resulting case report, which was published last month in the Journal of Applied Physiology, the authors shared that Rice has the highest V02 max (47.8) ever recorded for a woman aged 75 years or older, and a surprisingly high max heart rate of 180.
You can read more at the link, but even more amazing is that she started running at age 35 to lose weight after a visit to her native South Korea. Since then she progressed to being able to run 50 miles a week to maintain her current fitness level.
Here is a documentary I will need to check out once it is available on Netflix:
Korean American Kim Yong-man and his video rental store, Kim’s Video and Music, served as a cultural cornerstone in New York City’s East Village during the 1980s and ’90s.
It was an iconic destination for cinephiles due to its extensive collection of rare and eclectic movies, and it became a favored spot for renowned directors such as Martin Scorsese, Ang Lee, Todd Phillips, and the Coen Brothers.
Kim’s store, which began as a small section of his laundry in 1985, expanded into a chain of 11 stores with 300 employees and 250,000 members at its peak.
Following its premiere in Korea last September, the documentary “Kim’s Video,” released Friday in New York and Los Angeles, delves into the story of the legendary “video king” and the peculiar destiny of his collection of 55,000 video tapes. It is also scheduled to debut in China on April 19 and in Japan on May 1.
Korea Times
You can read more at the link.
The Korea Times has article published that Korean-Americans fear gun violence more than any other Asian ethnic group. Some Korean-Americans are now arming themselves because of the gun violence in America:
As fear escalates to new heights, some Korean Americans have decided to take their safety matters in their own hands. How? It’s simple. Owning your own gun.
Korea Times
While advocacy groups are firm in their belief that gun ownership is never the correct way to deal with fears, some Korean Americans feel it is the only way for them to feel safe in America.
Brian Kim is one of those people.
“I had returned home from visiting my parents and noticed my window was left wide open,” he explained. “I knew then I had to protect myself. Up until then, I had no idea how easy it was to obtain a gun.”
Kim states that with his gun, he feels much safer than before.
“Obviously, if I were living in Korea, I would never feel the need to own a gun because no one else has one, but in America, your safety is kind of up to you,” Kim said. “I was also threatened with a gun last year, so I’ve been thinking about purchasing another one for my car.”
Kim, however, does not agree with open carry, which refers to carrying a firearm in public in circumstances where the firearm is fully or partially visible to others.?He thinks there are simply way too many people that are unhinged for open carry.
You can read more at the link, but being a victim of a crime is much more likely than being a victim of a mass shooting. Having guns to deal with criminals was very beneficial to the Rooftop Koreans during the LA riots.
I feel horrible for the surviving child that saw his parents and sibling gun down in front of them:
Three members of a Korean American family were among the deceased victims of a weekend shooting spree at an outlet mall in Texas, a South Korean diplomatic mission said Sunday.
The couple in their 30s and their three-year-old son were shot to death in Saturday’s rampage at the mall in Allen, while another child of the couple was injured and is being treated at a hospital, according to the South Korean Consulate in Dallas.
The shooting has left at least eight people dead and seven others injured, according to CNN.
The gunman, identified as 33-year-old Mauricio Garcia, was killed by a police officer who was at the mall for an unrelated issue. The motive behind the killings remains unclear.
Yonhap
What I find interesting about his shooting is the media has been focusing on how he is an alleged white supremacist without mentioning the irony of judging by his name he is Hispanic. The focus really should be on is that this guy has long had mental issues. He was kicked out of the Army back in 2008 after only 3 months of service due to mental health issues. So how is a guy too unstable to stay in the Army allowed to buy a gun?
I am not sure what rights Korean residents are deprived of in the U.S., but President Yoon says he is concerned about this:
President Yoon Suk-yeol met with Korean residents in New York on Tuesday and promised to ask the U.S. government to ensure their rights and safety.
The banquet, which was held as part of Yoon’s visit to the city to attend the U.N. General Assembly, brought together some 170 Korean residents, including the head of the Korean American Association of Greater New York and business owners.
Yoon said he is proud of their achievements and grateful for their love for their fatherland.
“Our government will do our best so that overseas Koreans can enjoy their proper rights in U.S. society and develop further,” he said during the dinner, where he was joined by first lady Kim Keon-hee.
Yonhap
You can read more at the link.
This is a really good idea and a nice gesture by a Korean couple who founded the Korean War Foundation:
![Koo Sung-yeol (third from right) and Kim Chang-hwa (second from right) pose for photos with the school principal, superintendent, and students after a donation event at Workman Elementary School in Michigan, United States, on April 4. [KOO SUNG-YEOL]](https://i0.wp.com/koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2022/06/07/6432597e-252a-453b-b292-b1df35dc8bfc.jpg?w=640&ssl=1)
In Kaycee, Wyoming, the only school library is named for Corporal Demaret Kirtley, a Korean War veteran born in the small American town.
The library got its name thanks to a $5,000 (6.26 million won) donation by Koo Sung-yeol and Kim Chang-hwa to the school in May 2021.In 2020, the Korean couple, who have lived in the U.S. for more than 50 years, founded the Korean War Foundation. It has made $5,000 donations to schools in the hometowns of nine American soldiers who died in the Korean War.
Joong Ang Ilbo
Koo and his wife make donations to the schools and deliver nameplates that honor the fallen soldiers.
The couple’s grand notion: to pay respect to the American foot soldiers in the war for Korea’s freedom from all 50 states.
Corporal Kirtley died on Dec. 6, 1950, in the Battle of the Chosin Reservoir on the Gaema Plateau in South Hamgyeong. He was 21 years old. His remains, which were not recovered at the time, were returned to his hometown in June 2019, 69 years after he died.
You can read more at the link.
