Koreatown#New York City
{{Short description|Korean-dominated ethnic enclave}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Infobox Korean name
|image=220px
|caption=Koreatowns, like this one on 32nd Street in Manhattan, represent an overseas Korean diaspora and culture from the Koreans.
|hangul=코리아타운
|rr=Koriataun
|mr=K'oriat'aun
}}
A Koreatown ({{Korean|hangul=코리아타운}}), also known as a Little Korea or Little Seoul, is a Korean-dominated ethnic enclave within a city or metropolitan area outside the Korean Peninsula.
History
Koreatowns as an East Asian ethnic enclave have only been in existence since the mid-1860s, as Korea had been a territorially stable polity for centuries; according to Jaeeun Kim, "The congruence of territory, polity, and population was taken for granted."{{harvnb|Brubaker|Kim|2010|p=27}} Large-scale emigration from Korea was only mainly into the Russian Far East and Northeast China; these emigrants became the ancestors of the two million Koreans in China and several hundred thousand ethnic Koreans in Central Asia.{{Cite book|title=Overseas Koreans|author=Lee Kwang-kyu|publisher=Jimoondang|location=Seoul|year=2000|isbn=978-89-88095-18-8}}
Koreatowns in the western countries such as the United States and Canada have only been in place much later with the Los Angeles Koreatown receiving official recognition in 2008. Also many Koreatowns are not officially sanctioned where the only evidence of such enclaves exist as clusters of Korean stores with Korean signage existing only on the storefronts. In the 1992 Los Angeles riots, many Korean businesses were targeted where the signage only served to point out targets for rioters. In Philadelphia's Koreatown, anti-Korean sentiment was so strong that official signage was often vandalized as residents protested the "official recognition" of such areas, making many Koreatowns across the western countries never having official statuses that many Chinatowns receive today. Many Koreatowns today exist in a suburban setting as opposed to the urban settings of Chinatown mainly because many ethnic Koreans, especially in the western countries, fear crime that is often associated with the city dwellings and the higher quality of schools as education is often a top priority, which is why the Philadelphia Koreatowns exist in suburban settings such as Cheltenham, Pennsylvania instead of its original location in the Olney section of Philadelphia.{{cite news| url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2008-apr-18-me-billboard18-story.html | work=Los Angeles Times | title=Koreatown billboard district is proposed | first=David | last=Zahniser | date=April 18, 2008 |access-date=May 7, 2010}}
Characteristics
The features described below are characteristic of many modern Koreatowns.
=Korean signage=
{{See also|Korean language|Hangul}}
Many modern Koreatowns will exhibit the usage of the Korean language and Hangul on storefront signs sometimes on official highway signage. Officially sanctioned Koreatowns may also exhibit signs in the local language. In English, the word "Koreatown", "Little Korea" and "Korea Way" can sometimes be seen, as in the case with the Los Angeles Koreatown.
=Korean restaurants=
{{Main|Korean cuisine}}
File:Korean noodles-Kongguksu-01.jpg, a cold noodle dish with a broth made from ground soy beans]]
Many Koreatowns will have stores that serve Korean cuisine, usually serving as the major differentiator between other East Asian and Southeast Asian ethnic enclaves such as Chinatown and Little Saigons. The Korean national cuisine known today has evolved through centuries of social and political change. Originating from ancient agricultural and nomadic traditions in Southern Manchuria and the Korean Peninsula, Korean cuisine has evolved through a complex interaction of the natural environment and different cultural trends.{{cite web|url=http://www.han-style.com/hansik/history/cochoson.jsp |trans-title=Korean Food in History |script-title=ko:역사 속 한식이야기 |publisher=Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism|language=ko|access-date=2010-08-02|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111127180249/http://www.han-style.com/hansik/history/cochoson.jsp|archive-date=2011-11-27|title= }}{{cite news|url=http://100.naver.com/100.nhn?docid=186015 |script-title=ko:한국요리 [韓國料理] |publisher=Naver / Doosan Encyclopedia|language=ko-kr |access-date=2009-03-28}}
Korean cuisine is largely based upon rice, vegetables and meats. Traditional Korean meals are noted for the number of side dishes (banchan) that accompany steam-cooked short-grain rice. Kimchi is served often, sometimes at every meal. Commonly used ingredients include sesame oil, doenjang (fermented bean paste), soy sauce, salt, garlic, ginger, pepper flakes and gochujang (fermented red chili paste).
Locations
=Korean demographics=
{{Main|Korean diaspora}}
Many Koreatowns are actual ethnic enclaves where nearly four-fifths of migrant Koreans live in just three countries: China, the United States and Mexico.{{Cite book|publisher=Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade|location=South Korea|year=2013|access-date=2013-09-30|url=http://www.mofa.go.kr/travel/overseascitizen/index.jsp?menu=m_10_40|archive-url=https://archive.today/20131011211631/http://www.mofa.go.kr/travel/overseascitizen/index.jsp?menu=m_10_40|url-status=dead|archive-date=2013-10-11|script-title=ko:재외동포현황 |trans-title=Current Status of Overseas Compatriots|ref=CITEREFMOFAT2009|title= }} Other countries with greater than 0.5% Korean minorities include Australia, Canada, Kazakhstan, New Zealand, and Uzbekistan. All these figures include both permanent migrants and sojourners.{{Cite book|title=Korean Migration to the Wealthy West|author=Schwekendiek, Daniel|publisher=Nova Publishers|location=New York|year=2012}} If one focuses on long-term residents, there were about 5.3 million Korean emigrants as of 2010.
{{Infobox ethnic group
| group = Overseas Koreans
{{nobold|{{lang|ko|교포·재외동포}} / {{lang|ko|僑胞·在外同胞}}}} {{transliteration|ko|gyopo/jaeoedongpo}}
| region1 = {{flag|United States}}
| pop1 = 2,546,982
| region2 = {{flag|China}}
| pop2 = 2,461,386
| region3 = {{flag|Japan}}
| pop3 = 824,977
| region4 = {{flag|Canada}}
| pop4 = 241,750
| region5 = {{flag|Uzbekistan}}
| pop5 = 177,270
| region6 = {{flag|Vietnam}}
| pop6 = 172,684
| region7 = {{flag|Russia}}
| pop7 = 169,933
| region8 = {{flag|Australia}}
| pop8 = 167,331
| region9 = {{flag|Kazakhstan}}
| pop9 = 109,923
| region10 = {{flag|Philippines}}
| pop10 = 85,125
| region11 = {{flag|Brazil}}
| pop11 = 48,281
| region12 = {{flag|Germany}}
| pop12 = 44,864
| region13 = {{flag|United Kingdom}}
| pop13 = 40,770
| region14 = {{flag|New Zealand}}
| pop14 = 38,114
| region15 = {{flag|France}}
| pop15 = 29,167
| region16 = {{flag|Argentina}}
| pop16 = 23,063
| region17 = {{flag|Indonesia}}
| pop17 = 22,774
| region18 = {{flag|Singapore}}
| pop18 = 21,406
| region19 = {{flag|Malaysia}}
| pop19 = 20,861
| region20 = {{flag|Thailand}}
| pop20 = 20,200
| region21 = {{flag|Kyrgyzstan}}
| pop21 = 18,515
| region22 = {{flag|Ukraine}}
| pop22 = 13,070
| region23 = {{flag|Sweden}}
| pop23 = 12,721
| region24 = {{flag|Cambodia}}
| pop24 = 11,969
| region25 = {{flag|Mexico}}
| pop25 = 11,897
| region26 = {{flag|India}}
| pop26 = 11,273
| region27 = {{flag|United Arab Emirates}}
| pop27 = 10,930
| region28 = {{flag|Denmark}}
| pop28 = 9,581
| region29 = {{flag|Netherlands}}
| pop29 = 8,601
| region30 = {{flag|Norway}}
| pop30 = 7,667
| languages = Korean, various local languages
| related = Korean people
}}
=Americas=
==Argentina==
{{Further|Koreans in Argentina}}
Buenos Aires's 'Barrio Coreano' is in the neighborhood of Flores, specifically in the south of this neighborhood. The primary artery of the district is Avenida Carabobo, which houses various Korean businesses and organizations, including restaurants, beauty salons, a Korean school (Instituto Coreano Argentino) and churches, among others.
In recent years, there has been a huge move from the Bajo Flores towards the Avellaneda Avenue, the reason being the increasing theft and insecurity around the slums close to Avenida Castanares. What some might call these days "The New Koreatown" has been increasing in size at a faster rate while the shops in Avenida Carabobo have been closing.{{cite web |url=http://elcuerpodecristo.com/wiki/Barrio+Coreano |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080621113729/http://elcuerpodecristo.com/wiki/Barrio+Coreano |url-status=dead |archive-date=2008-06-21 |title=Barrio Coreano |publisher=ElCuerpoDeCristo |date=2006-09-25 |access-date=2010-05-13 }}
There are over 22,000 Koreans in Argentina, most of them in Buenos Aires, where the Asian population is around 2.5%.{{Cite journal|publisher=Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade |location=South Korea |year=2009 |access-date=2009-05-21 |url=http://www.mofat.go.kr/consul/overseascitizen/compatriotcondition/index6.jsp?TabMenu=TabMenu6 |script-title=ko:재외동포현황 |trans-title=Current Status of Overseas Compatriots |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20101023213104/http://www.mofat.go.kr/consul/overseascitizen/compatriotcondition/index6.jsp?TabMenu=TabMenu6 |archive-date=2010-10-23 |title= }}
==Brazil==
{{Further|Korean Brazilians|Bom Retiro (district of São Paulo)}}
Brazil has several Korean enclaves but, recently a Koreatown was formed in Bom Retiro a densely populated area of Brazil's biggest city, São Paulo. It is also a Korean gastronomic center. There are traditional dishes such as bibimbap and samgyeopsal or a good cup of coffee at a cafe like the ones in Seoul. There are also Korean markets with hard-to-find Hansik ingredients such as gochujang, soybean sauce and sesame oil. Korean culture is also well preserved in there. Korean culture is mixed with that of Brazil in this neighborhood: Posters with Hangul written on them are alongside those in Portuguese, and most people are fluent in both Korean and Portuguese in the area.
Also, the residents of Bom Retiro preserve Korean culture while making it more vigorous and active. Cultural festivals including K-pop concerts are held there frequently, and many museums or workshops allow visitors to experience traditional Korean culture. Quite a few Korean artists also live in this community. For instance, Hwang Young-ah uses Bom Retiro as a platform to exhibit her collections and cultivate her artistic talent. And the Hallyu Cultural Center was opened a few years ago to offer a variety of programs on Korean culture including classes in the Korean language, K-pop dance and traditional handicrafts.[https://www.korea.net/NewsFocus/HonoraryReporters/view?articleId=188014 Bom Retiro, Koreatown in Brazil's largest city] - korea.net
The city of Fortaleza in Ceará state hosted many immigrants from South Korea in Brazil.
The Korean consulate in Brazil said that the municipal government in São Paulo has designated Bom Retiro as 'Koreatown' and could pass an ordinance that will see the city provide administrative and financial support to the new community.
==Chile==
{{Further|Koreans in Chile|Barrio Patronato}}
The Korean population of Chile is mostly concentrated in Patronato in Santiago. Currently, approximately 3000 Koreans live in Chile.
The Korean community is well organized and united. Colonia Coreana organizes several events annually. Among these events are: soccer tournaments, Korean festivals, and the annual Mr. and Ms. Patronato.{{cite web|url=http://asiapacifico.bcn.cl/noticias/cultura-y-sociedad/coreanos-en-chile |title=Coreanos en Chile: ¿Cómo ven a los chilenos? — Portal Chile Asia Pacifico |date=21 August 2008 |language= es |publisher=Asiapacifico.bcn.cl |access-date=2010-05-13}}
==Mexico==
{{Further|Koreans in Mexico|Pequeño Seúl}}
File:KoreanRestaurantsFlorenciaStreet.JPG]]
Mexico has a large Korean population that lives in and around Zona Rosa in Mexico City. According to the newspaper Reforma, there are at least 1,000 Koreans living in Zona Rosa and about 3,000 total in Colonia Juárez, the larger official neighborhood of which Zona Rosa is a part.{{cite news |title= Crece el comercio de coreanos en DF |author=Manuel Duran |newspaper=Reforma |location=Mexico City |date=May 23, 2001 |page=7 |language=es |trans-title=South Korean businesses grow in the Federal District }} The area around Hamburgo, Praga, Florencia, and Biarritz streets converted into “Pequeño Seul,” or Little Seoul in the 1990s before receding since then.
==Canada==
{{Further|Korean Canadians}}
===Toronto, Ontario===
Toronto officially designated the area on Bloor Street from Bathurst Street to Christie St. as Koreatown in 2004.[12] According to the 2001 census Toronto had roughly 43,000 Koreans living in the city,[13] and in 2011 the numbers have grown to 64,755.[14] The Korean community in Toronto has developed Koreatown such that it offers a Korean grocery store,[15]hairdressers, karaoke bars and a multitude of restaurants.[16] The City of Toronto describes Koreatown as "primarily a business district offering a wide range of Korean restaurants, high-end-fashion Korean boutiques, herbalists, acupuncturist and many other unique services and shops which are filled with made-in-Korea merchandise."[12] Koreatown Toronto is also known for its Spring Dano Festival, which is run on the 5th day of 5th month of the Korean Lunar Calendar. The festival is run in the Christie Pits area and has been run for the past 21 years with the exception of 2013 when it was cancelled.[12][17] Today, although many Koreans work in the area, very few Koreans actually live there. An influx of Latino immigrants is changing the demographics of the area today.
Koreatown North is the unofficial name for the area situated along Yonge Street from Sheppard Avenue in North York, an administrative area in northern Toronto, to Clark Avenue in neighboring Thornhill, Ontario.{{cite news |url=https://www.thestar.com/life/food_wine/2017/03/22/learning-how-to-eat-banchan.html |title=Learning how to eat banchan |first=Aparita |last=Bhandari |newspaper=The Star |location=Toronto |date=March 22, 2017}} This area does not have official signage as they are mixed with establishments catering to Persians and Chinese clientele.
===Vancouver, British Columbia===
The highest concentration of Koreans is found near Lougheed Town Centre in Burnaby, British Columbia and in the adjacent city of Coquitlam.{{cite web |last1=Naylor |first1=Cornelia |title=Burnaby landlord who tried to renege on deal to sell Koreatown offices loses in court |url=https://www.burnabynow.com/real-estate/burnaby-landlord-who-tried-to-renege-on-deal-to-sell-koreatown-offices-loses-in-court-1.23522246 |website=BurnabyNow |date=7 December 2018 |access-date=26 September 2019}} Along the North Road (from Delestre Ave (South) to Burquitlam Skytrain Station (North)), sizable supermarkets such as Hannam Supermarket and H Mart, hair shops, Korean restaurants, bars, law firms, accountants' offices, realty offices, child care, clinics and auto repair shops are to be found. For a few years, following the housing boom, the number of Korean Canadians has increased in Langley, Surrey, Port Coquitlam, Maple Ridge, Mission and Abbotsford, and more businesses are opening up shops and offices in east Metro Vancouver and Fraser Valley.
==United States==
{{Main|Korean Americans}}
{{see also|Korean immigration to Hawaii}}
The first large group of Korean immigrants settled in the United States between 1901 and 1905. Between those years 7,226 immigrants, including 6,048 men, 637 women, and 541 children, came on 65 trips. Most of the early immigrants of that period had some contract with American missionaries in Korea. For some Western-oriented Korean intellectuals, immigrating to the United States was considered useful, in part, to help them in the modernization of their homeland. Consequently, the recruiter for labourers for the Hawaiian Sugar Planters' Association (HSPA), David Deshler, had no trouble finding Koreans from a wide range of social classes willing to sail to Hawaii.Chang and Patterson 2003
San Francisco, Dinuba, and Riverside, California have a claim as the first Korean U.S. settlement.
===Atlanta, Georgia===
In 2010, Atlanta has a population of approximately 94,000 individuals of Korean descent. Atlanta's Koreatown is mostly centered around the corridor extending from Duluth, Georgia, westward along Buford Highway into northeast Atlanta and Suwanee, Georgia.{{cite web|url=http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2006/11/20/2006112061008.html |title=Georgia: Home to America's Newest Koreatown |date=2006-11-20 |access-date=2013-04-07}} KoreanBeacon named Atlanta #5 in its list of Top Korean-American cities, citing the Korean population in Gwinnett County, GA (which contains Duluth) doubling over the past decade, in addition to large stretches of Buford Highway being populated with retail and services with many signs in Korean.{{cite web |url=http://www.koreanbeacon.com/2011/08/09/top-5-most-korean-american-cities-atlanta/ |title=Top 5 Most Korean-American Cities: Atlanta |publisher=Korean Beacon |date=August 9, 2011 |access-date=June 12, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130526092924/http://www.koreanbeacon.com/2011/08/09/top-5-most-korean-american-cities-atlanta/ |archive-date=May 26, 2013 }} Atlanta also has four Korean-language television stations broadcast in the Atlanta area, in addition to a local daily Korean newspaper, the Atlanta ChoSun.{{cite web|url=http://www.atlantachosun.com/ |title=애틀랜타 조선닷컴 |date=2013-04-07 |access-date=2013-04-07}}
===Aurora, Colorado===
Roughly two thousand Korean immigrants live in Aurora, and the stretch of Havana Street running from Mississippi Avenue to Iliff Avenue contains a very high number of Korean businesses. A motion to designate the surrounding area as an official Koreatown was at one time considered by the Aurora City Council.{{Cite web|title=Aurora exploring a 'Korea Town' designation|url=https://www.9news.com/article/news/local/aurora-exploring-a-korea-town-designation/73-523292857|access-date=2020-12-21|website=KUSA.com|date=25 February 2018 |language=en-US}}
===Baltimore, Maryland===
{{See also|History of the Koreans in Baltimore}}
There is a small portion of lower Charles Village, referred to as the Station North Arts and Entertainment District, is sometimes referred to as Koreatown{{cite book |last1=Patterson |first1=Kathy Wielech |last2=Patterson |first2=Neal |year=2013 |title=Food Lovers' Guide to Baltimore: The Best Restaurants, Markets & Local Culinary Offerings |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=J1AnNsnsZCMC&q=Baltimore+Koreatown&pg=PA178 |location=Guilford, Connecticut |publisher=Morris Book Publishing, LLC |isbn=978-0-7627-8109-6 |access-date=2014-03-31 |quote=Nam Kang's has been around for a while, and for some, it's the favorite of the Korean restaurants that make up a sort of Koreatown in the lower part of Charles Village }} or Little Korea{{cite book |author= |title=Fodor's Virginia and Maryland: With Washington,, Part 3 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jPEsIsbwCQEC&q=Baltimore+%22Little+Korea%22&pg=PA340 |location=Toronto, Ontario |publisher=Fodor's Travel, Random House |pages=340 |year=2011 |isbn=978-0-307-48052-1 |access-date=2014-03-31 }} and is home to a number of Korean restaurants,{{cite news |url=http://www.baltimoresun.com/nyc-koreatown-restaurants,0,7414971.story |title=Where to eat in Koreatown |newspaper=The Baltimore Sun |access-date=2014-03-31 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140407074917/http://www.baltimoresun.com/nyc-koreatown-restaurants,0,7414971.story |archive-date=2014-04-07 }} but it has not been officially designated as a Koreatown.{{cite book |last=Moon |first=Seung-Jun |year=2004 |title=Immigration, Acculturation, and Mass Media Effects: Cultural Values and Evaluations of Caucasian and Asian Advertising Models |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IpXOAAAAMAAJ&q=Baltimore |location=Madison, Wisconsin |publisher=University of Wisconsin--Madison |pages=22 |access-date=2014-03-31 }} This developing Koreatown is bounded on the north by 24th Street, on the south by North Avenue, on the west by Maryland Avenue, and on the east by St. Paul Street.{{cite web |url=http://archives.ubalt.edu/north%20avenue/pdf/Korean-American,%20Kunst.pdf |title=Biography of a Block: The Korean-American Population of North Avenue |publisher=University of Baltimore |access-date=2014-03-31 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304022556/http://archives.ubalt.edu/north%20avenue/pdf/Korean-American%2C%20Kunst.pdf |archive-date=2016-03-04 }} Meanwhile, suburban Ellicott City, Maryland and Catonsville, Maryland has also developed Koreatowns, along Route 40.{{cite web|url=https://money.cnn.com/2015/11/12/news/economy/korean-ellicott-city/|title=How Koreans energized this Maryland city|publisher=CNN|date=November 12, 2015|access-date=November 17, 2015}}
===Boston, Massachusetts===
Boston's Koreatown is in Allston Village and includes parts of Cambridge Street and Brighton, Harvard, and Commonwealth Avenues,{{Cite web |last=Rocheleau |first=Matt |date=2012-10-28 |title=In Allston-Brighton, Korean enclave grows strong roots |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2012/10/27/korean-enclave-grows-strong-roots-boston-allston-brighton-area/LEt7GpWwcQenjyZmS2EaRN/story.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170705204847/https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2012/10/27/korean-enclave-grows-strong-roots-boston-allston-brighton-area/LEt7GpWwcQenjyZmS2EaRN/story.html |archive-date=2017-07-05 |website=Boston Globe}}{{Cite web|url=http://immigrationtalk.org/2012/11/26/koreatown-emerges-in-allston-brighton/|title = Koreatown emerges in Allston-Brighton| work=Immigration Talk |date = 26 November 2012}} with a growing Korean and Korean American residential and commercial presence.
===Chicago, Illinois===
Chicago's Albany Park neighborhood has been referred to as Chicago's "Koreatown" since the 1980s. The majority of Korean shops in Albany Park can be found along Lawrence Avenue (4800 North) between Kedzie (3200 West) and Pulaski (4000 West). This particular section of Lawrence Avenue has been officially designated by the city of Chicago as "Seoul Drive" because of the multitude of Korean-owned enterprises on the street. Although many of the Korean Americans in the neighborhood have been moving to the north suburbs in recent years, it still retains its Korean flavor. Every year there is a Korean festival, and the neighborhood is home to a Korean television station (WOCH-CD Ch. 41) and radio station (1330 AM) as well as two Korean-language newspapers. There are still many Korean businesses interspersed among the newer Mexican bakeries and Middle Eastern grocery stores. Approximately 45% of the businesses on this particular stretch of Lawrence Avenue are owned by Korean-Americans.{{cite book|author=Lan Dong|title=Asian American Culture [2 volumes]: From Anime to Tiger Moms [2 volumes]|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=y6bOEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA487|year=2016|publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing|page=487|isbn=9789351182375}}{{cite web|url=https://www.falconliving.com/chicago-il-real-estate/albany-park/|title=Albany Park Real Estate |publisher=Falconliving.com |access-date=2015-03-22}}
===Columbus, Ohio===
File:Koreatown_Columbus_Ohio_USA.jpg includes a Korean nail salon, a Korean restaurant, a Korean beauty products store, and a Korean grocery store.]]
Koreatown is in the vicinity of Bethel and Henderson Roads in Northwest Columbus. This area includes several Korean grocery stores, churches, and restaurants.{{Cite web |last=Trask |first=Bailey |title=Restaurant Review: Min Ga Korean Restaurant |url=https://www.columbusmonthly.com/foodanddining/20200331/restaurant-review-min-ga-korean-restaurant |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201124040059/https://www.columbusmonthly.com/foodanddining/20200331/restaurant-review-min-ga-korean-restaurant |archive-date=2020-11-24 |website=Columbus Monthly}}
===Dallas, Texas===
Dallas has the largest Korean-American community in Texas and second (to Atlanta) in the southern United States. A sizable Koreatown can be found in Dallas. In 2023, The state of Texas officially designated the area as a Koreatown in legislation.{{cite web | url=https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/koreatown-dallas-legislation-updates-texas/287-eaf7a120-9df6-4065-9414-7d6551881295 | title=Koreatown Dallas now officially recognized by state as official designation is signed into law | date=9 May 2023 }} This area in the Northwest part of the city, known as the Asian Trade District, is characterized by a large number of Korean-owned businesses serving the city's sizable Korean-American community, concentrated along a 1.5 mile strip of Royal Lane between Luna Rd and Harry Hines Blvd. Although Korean business is undoubtedly the most dominant in the area, there are isolated Chinese and Vietnamese businesses as well.
Another Koreatown can be found in Carrollton, Texas, which is part of the greater DFW area. This area is referred to as "New Koreatown" by locals, due to it growing from the arrival of Hmart to the city. Over the years, more and more restaurants and shops have opened around the Hmart.
Ellicott City, Maryland
Ellicott City is home to the officially-designated Koreatown in Maryland.
===Honolulu, Hawaii===
Korean businesses congregate on Keeaumoku Street, which earned the nickname "Koreamoku." As of 2016 it has been officially designated as a Koreatown. Roughly bounded by Kalakaua Ave (East), Kapiolani Blvd. (South), King St. (North) and Keeaumoku St. (West).{{cite web|url=http://files.hawaii.gov/dbedt/op/czm/final_koreatown_report.pdf |title=Options of the Establishment of a Koreatown in the City and County of Honolulu |publisher=Office of Planning, Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism, State of Hawaii |access-date=2015-02-22}} With recent gentrification and condominiums pricing out Korean merchants in the Ke‘eaumoku district, a new Koreatown is emerging in downtown Honolulu.{{Cite web |last=Burgos |first=Annalisa |date=2023-12-29 |title=How old and new generations of Koreans help shape Hawaii |url=https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2023/12/29/new-generation-koreans-shape-honolulus-next-koreatown/ |access-date=2025-02-24 |website=www.hawaiinewsnow.com |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Dingeman |first=Robbie |date=2022-11-23 |title=A New Mini Koreatown in Downtown |url=https://www.honolulumagazine.com/mini-koreatown/ |access-date=2025-02-24 |website=Honolulu Magazine |language=en-US}}
===Houston, Texas===
{{Main|Spring Branch, Houston}}
Spring Branch in Houston is considered to have the largest Koreatown in the Houston area.
===Orange County, California===
{{main|Koreatown, Garden Grove}}
Koreatown (also referred to as Little Seoul or the Korean Business District on nearby street signage) is on Garden Grove Boulevard between Beach Boulevard (Route 39) and Brookhurst Street in Garden Grove, Orange County, California. The Korean population in Orange County more than doubled between 1990 and 2010.
===Los Angeles, California===
{{main|Koreatown, Los Angeles}}
The Greater Los Angeles Area is home to the largest number of ethnic Koreans outside of the Korean Peninsula. Koreatown is an officially recognized district of the city and contains probably the heaviest concentration of Korean residents and businesses. However, when the term "Koreatown" is used it usually refers to a larger area that includes the adjacent neighborhoods of Wilshire Center, Harvard Heights and Pico Heights. Koreans began to move into the area in the late 1960s after changes in US immigration laws as part of the greater Civil Rights Movement (especially the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 which formally ended the Chinese Exclusion Act), establishing numerous businesses, although never outnumbering Latino residents. In the aftermath of the 1992 riots, Koreatown entered into a period of development, especially during the 1994 Asian Market Crisis as South Korean investors sought to invest in the then-profitable California real-estate market. More recently, L.A.'s Koreatown has been perceived to have experienced declining political power secondary to re-districting{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-0801-koreatown-lawsuit-20120801,0,7093984.story|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120802011421/http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-0801-koreatown-lawsuit-20120801,0,7093984.story|url-status=dead|archive-date=2012-08-02|title=Koreatown residents sue L.A. over redistricting|author=David Zahniser|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=2012-08-01|access-date=2012-08-27}} and an increased crime rate,{{cite news|url=http://maps.latimes.com/neighborhoods/neighborhood/koreatown/crime/|title=Koreatown Crime|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|access-date=2012-08-27|archive-date=2013-08-01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130801231321/http://maps.latimes.com/neighborhoods/neighborhood/koreatown/crime/|url-status=dead}} prompting an exodus of Koreans from the area.
===Newport News, Virginia===
A Korean Enclave exists on the north end of Newport News, Virginia. It is centered around Denbigh Blvd and Warwick Blvd, following mostly along Warwick Blvd. Originally the area was established as an enclave when Korean War veterans stationed at the nearby Fort Eustis brought home wives from Korea. The area has been affectionately called "little Seoul" because of this.{{cite news|url=http://hamptonroads.com/2009/11/little-seoul-warwick-boulevard |title=A Little Seoul in Newport News |website=hamptonroads.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150725075547/http://hamptonroads.com/2009/11/little-seoul-warwick-boulevard |archive-date=2015-07-25 }} There are numerous shops catering the Korean population of the entire Hampton Roads area. The shops range from hair salons, to grocers, and even a bakery.{{cite web | url=https://www.yelp.com/biz/bread-garden-newport-news | title=Bread Garden - Newport News, VA }} There are also significant numbers of Taiwanese, Philippine, Vietnamese and other Asian ethnicities in the area.{{cite web |url=https://statisticalatlas.com/tract/Virginia/Newport-News-City/032211/Race-and-Ethnicity |title=Race and Ethnicity in Tract 032211, Newport News County, Virginia |website=statisticalatlas.com |access-date=2024-08-16}}
===New York metropolitan area===
As of the 2010 United States Census, the self-identified Korean American population in the metropolitan New York Combined Statistical Area was 218,764,{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|title=Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data New York-Newark-Bridgeport, NY-NJ-CT-PA CSA|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|access-date=2012-08-29}} the second largest population of ethnic Koreans outside Korea.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hCegCgAAQBAJ&q=new+york+second+largest+korean+population&pg=PA326|title=Savoring Gotham: A Food Lover's Companion to New York City: A Food Lover's...|author=Chi-Hoon Kim|year=2015|publisher=Oxford University Press |access-date = October 11, 2015|isbn=9780190263638}}
According to the 2011 American Community Survey, there were approximately 100,000 Korean Americans in New York City, with two-thirds living in borough of Queens.{{cite web|url=http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_11_1YR_DP05&prodType=table|archive-url=https://archive.today/20200212210151/http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_11_1YR_DP05&prodType=table|url-status=dead|archive-date=February 12, 2020|title=ACS Demographic and Housing Estimates – 2011 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates, Geographies New York City, New York and Queens County, New York|access-date=September 10, 2013}} In particular, Fresh Meadows is home to the most Korean immigrants of any neighbourhood in the city.{{cite news| url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/01/23/nyregion/20110123-nyc-ethnic-neighborhoods-map.html?_r=0 | work=The New York Times | title=Then as Now — New York's Shifting Ethnic Mosaic | date=2011-01-22}} In Bergen County, New Jersey, where several towns are home to significant Korean populations,{{cite web | last = Wu | first = Sen-Yuan | title = New Jersey's Asian Population by Asian Group: 2010 | publisher = New Jersey Labor Market News #18 | date = February 17, 2012 | url = http://lwd.dol.state.nj.us/labor/lpa/pub/lmv/lmv_18.pdf | access-date = 2014-06-11 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130925080917/http://lwd.dol.state.nj.us/labor/lpa/pub/lmv/lmv_18.pdf | archive-date = September 25, 2013 | url-status = dead | df = mdy-all }} the survey counted 63,247 Korean Americans or 6.9% of the total population.{{cite web|url=http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_11_1YR_DP05&prodType=table|archive-url=https://archive.today/20200212210151/http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_11_1YR_DP05&prodType=table|url-status=dead|archive-date=February 12, 2020|title=ACS Demographic and Housing Estimates 2011 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates - Geographies - Bergen County, New Jersey|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=June 11, 2013}} The Korean population in borough of Manhattan has nearly doubled to approximately 20,000 since the 2000 Census.{{cite web|url=http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/36/36061lk.html|title=New York County, New York QuickLinks|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|access-date=2012-08-29|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130619140250/http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/36/36061lk.html|archive-date=2013-06-19}}
As of 2014, there were 180 franchisees of Korean coffeehouse chain Caffe Bene in the metro area.{{cite web|url=http://www.northjersey.com/news/business/coffee-with-a-taste-of-korea-1.1029736|title=Korean coffee chain expanding in North Jersey|author=Joan Verdon|publisher=North Jersey Media Group|date=June 5, 2014|access-date=June 5, 2014}} Korean Air and Asiana Airlines provide non-stop flights from Seoul to JFK Airport.{{cite web|url=http://www.nycaviation.com/2011/08/new-korean-air-airbus-a380-makes-first-flight-to-america/|title=New Korean Air Airbus A380 Makes First Flight to America|author=Matt Molnar|publisher=Copyright © 2012 NYCAviation All Rights Reserved|date=August 9, 2011|access-date=2012-08-29}}{{cite web|url=http://flights.expedia.com/Flights_tfaOJFK_DICN.htm|title=Flights from New York to Seoul|publisher=©2011 Expedia, Inc. All rights reserved|access-date=2012-08-29}}
====Manhattan====
{{main|Koreatown, Manhattan}}
In Midtown Manhattan, Koreatown is bordered by 31st and 33rd Streets, Fifth Avenue, and the Avenue of the Americas, close to the Empire State Building and Macy's at Herald Square. The heart of the district is the block of 32nd Street between Fifth Avenue and Broadway, officially nicknamed "Korea Way", which features stores on multiple stories, with small, independently run establishments reaching up to the third or fourth floors, including restaurants, exuding an ambience of Seoul.{{cite web|url=http://www.metro.us/newyork/entertainment/article/1146050--seoul-searching-in-manhattan-s-koreatown|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130421233532/http://www.metro.us/newyork/entertainment/article/1146050--seoul-searching-in-manhattan-s-koreatown|url-status=dead|archive-date=2013-04-21|title=Seoul-searching in Manhattan's Koreatown|publisher=Copyright 2001-2012, Free Daily News Group Inc|author=Rebecca Finkel|date=2012-06-20|access-date=2012-10-05}} The New York City Korean Chamber of Commerce estimates there to be more than 100 small businesses on the block.{{cite news|url=http://articles.nydailynews.com/2010-10-03/news/27076919_1_korean-barbecue-galbi-seoul|title=Your Nabe: From barbecue to karaoke, your guide to Koreatown|last=Yi|first=David|date=3 October 2010|work=Daily News|location=New York|access-date=2012-10-05|archive-date=2012-04-26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120426190356/http://articles.nydailynews.com/2010-10-03/news/27076919_1_korean-barbecue-galbi-seoul|url-status=dead}} It is home to numerous restaurants{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/23/dining/reviews/23under.html|title=Snacking in Koreatown|last=Andrews|first=Betsy|date=22 March 2011|work=The New York Times|access-date=2012-10-05}}{{cite news|url=http://dinersjournal.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/03/22/koreatown-where-to-eat/|title=Koreatown: Where to Eat|author= Nick Fox|newspaper=The New York Times|date=2011-03-22|access-date=2012-10-03}}{{cite web|url=http://newyork.seriouseats.com/manhattan/koreatown/|title=Serious Eats New York: Manhattan: Koreatown|publisher =Serious Eats ©2006-2012|access-date=2012-10-03}} that serve both traditional and/or regional Korean cuisine and Korean fusion fare (including Korean Chinese cuisine{{cite web|url=http://newyork.grubstreet.com/2011/12/dong-chun-hong-opening-photos.html|title=First Look at Dong Chun Hong, Bringing Seoul-Based Korean-Chinese to K-Town|author=Jenny Miller|publisher=Copyright © 2009, New York Media LLC. All Rights Reserved|date=2011-12-22|access-date=2012-10-05}}), several bakeries, grocery stores, supermarkets, bookstores, consumer electronics outlets, video rental shops, tchotchke and stationery shops, hair and nail salons, noraebang bars, nightclubs, as well as cell phone service providers, internet cafés, doctors' offices, banks, and hotels. Approximately twelve 24/7 restaurants conduct business on Korea Way.{{cite news|url=http://newyork.seriouseats.com/manhattan/koreatown/|title=In The Midnight Hour: BCD Tofu House in Koreatown|first=Zachary|last=Feldman|newspaper=Serious Eats|date=2010-11-26|access-date=2012-10-05}} According to the 2000 Census, a slightly larger area including Koreatown was 46 percent Asian.{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/19/realestate/19livi.html?pagewanted=print|title=Living in - Koreatown - Exotic Flavor, Beyond Just the Food|author=Deborah Baldwin|publisher=Copyright 2008 The New York Times Company |date=2008-10-19|access-date=2012-08-29}} Koreatown is expanding eastward toward Madison Avenue in Midtown Manhattan.
====Long Island====
{{Main|Koreatown, Queens}}
File:Northern Boulevard, in Koreatown, Queens, New York.jpg originated in Flushing, Queens before sprawling eastward along Northern Boulevard{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5PSYZMs8TzEC&q=fort+lee+koreatown+pyong+min&pg=PA237|title=Asian Americans: Contemporary Trends and Issues Second Edition, Edited by Pyong Gap Min|publisher=Pine Forge Press - An Imprint of Sage Publications, Inc|year=2006|access-date=2013-01-06|isbn=9781412905565}}{{cite web|url=http://queens.about.com/od/neighborhoods/p/flushing.htm|title=Flushing: Queens Neighborhood Profile|author=John Roleke|work=About.com Queens, NY |publisher=©2013 About.com. All rights reserved|access-date=2013-01-06}}{{cite web|url=http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/628585|title=Koreatown Manhattan, or Koreatown Flushing?|publisher=© CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved|date=June 2009|access-date=2013-01-06}}{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/03/23/realestate/if-you-re-thinking-living-murray-hill-queens-name-s-same-pace-slower.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm|title=If You're Thinking of Living In/Murray Hill, Queens; The Name's the Same, the Pace is Slower|author=Joyce Cohen|newspaper=The New York Times|date=2003-03-23|access-date=2013-01-06}} and eventually into adjacent suburban Nassau County.]]
The Long Island Koreatown is one of the largest and fastest growing ethnic enclaves outside Korea. The core of this Koreatown originated in the Flushing neighborhood borough of Queens. It has continued to expand rapidly eastward through the neighborhoods of Murray Hill, Bayside, Douglaston and Little Neck, and into adjacent suburban Nassau County, Long Island. In the 1980s, a continuous stream of Korean immigrants many of whom began as workers in the medical field or Korean international students moved to New York City to find or initiate professional or entrepreneurial positions. They established a foothold on Union Street in Flushing between 35th and 41st Avenues, featuring restaurants and karaoke (noraebang) bars, grocery markets, education centers and bookstores, banking institutions, offices, electronics vendors, apparel boutiques and other commercial enterprises. As the community grew more affluent and rose in socioeconomic status, Koreans moved eastward along Northern Boulevard, buying homes in more affluent and less crowded Queens neighborhoods and Nassau County, bringing their businesses with them. The eastward pressure was created in part by the inability to move westward due to the formidable presence of the enormous Flushing Chinatown ({{zh|t=法拉盛華埠|p=Fǎlā Shèng Huá Bù|labels=no}}) centered on Main Street. The expansion led to the creation of an American Meokjagolmok or Restaurant Street, around the Murray Hill station of Long Island Rail Road station which is reminiscent of Seoul.{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2013/06/09/nyregion/new-york-citys-newest-immigrant-enclaves.html?pagewanted=all|title=City's Newest Immigrant Enclaves, From Little Guyana to Meokjagolmok|author=Kirk Semple|newspaper=The New York Times|date=June 8, 2013|access-date=June 12, 2013}} According to The New York Times, a "Kimchi Belt" stretches along Northern Boulevard and the Long Island Rail Road tracks, from Flushing into Nassau County; while according to a Korean food chef, "Queens is the closest you can come to authentic Korean food".{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/17/dining/critics-notebook-pete-wells-explores-korean-restaurants-in-queens.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=photo-spot-region®ion=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&_r=0|title=In Queens, Kimchi Is Just the Start - Pete Wells Explores Korean Restaurants in Queens|author=Pete Wells|newspaper=The New York Times|date=December 16, 2014|access-date=December 16, 2014}} The Long Island Koreatown features numerous restaurants that serve both traditional and/or regional Korean cuisine. Korean Chinese cuisine is also available in the Long Island Koreatown.
====Bergen County====
{{Main|Koreatown, Palisades Park|Koreatown, Fort Lee|Bergen County, New Jersey#Korean American|l3=Bergen County, New Jersey}}
File:Broad Avenue Palisades Park.jpg, Bergen County, New Jersey,{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5PSYZMs8TzEC&q=fort+lee+koreatown+pyong+min&pg=PA237|title=Asian Americans: Contemporary Trends and Issues Second Edition, Edited by Pyong Gap Min|publisher=Pine Forge Press - An Imprint of Sage Publications, Inc|year=2006|access-date=2012-03-29|isbn=9781412905565}}{{cite news|url=http://newyork.seriouseats.com/2008/06/new-jersey-palisades-park-koreatown-korean-banchan-nj.html|title=New York serious eats|publisher=Serious Eats © 2006-2012|author=Brian Yarvin|newspaper=Serious Eats |date=2008-06-13|access-date=2012-03-29}} where Koreans comprise the majority (52%) of the population{{cite web|url=http://www.northjersey.com/news/mahwah-library-hosts-korean-tea-ceremony-to-celebrate-new-year-1.1275756|title=Mahwah library hosts Korean tea ceremony to celebrate new year|author=James O'Neill|publisher=North Jersey Media Group|date=February 22, 2015|access-date=April 30, 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150222201039/http://www.northjersey.com/news/mahwah-library-hosts-korean-tea-ceremony-to-celebrate-new-year-1.1275756|archive-date=February 22, 2015}}{{cite web|url=http://www.northjersey.com/news/bergen/Korean_language_ballots_coming_to_Bergen_County.html|title=Korean language ballots coming to Bergen County|author=Karen Sudol and Dave Sheingold|publisher=© 2012 North Jersey Media Group|date=2011-10-12|access-date=April 30, 2015}}{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/19/nyregion/monument-in-palisades-park-nj-irritates-japanese-officials.html?_r=1|title=In New Jersey, Memorial for 'Comfort Women' Deepens Old Animosity|newspaper=The New York Times|author=Kirk Semple|date=May 18, 2012|access-date=April 30, 2015}}]]
Koreans began moving to Eastern Bergen County, New Jersey in the 1980s{{cite news|last = Perez-Pena|first = Richard|title = As Koreans Pour In, a Town Is Remade|newspaper = The New York Times|date = December 15, 2010|url = https://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/16/nyregion/16palisades.html?_r=0|access-date = 2014-06-11}} and by the 1990s, several enclaves were established.{{Citation|last = Foner|first = Nancy|title = One Out of Three: Immigrant New York in the Twenty-First Century|publisher = Columbia University Press|year = 2013|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=UcmrAgAAQBAJ&q=One+Out+of+Three%3A+Immigrant+New+York+in+the+21st+Century+Bergen+County&pg=PA154|isbn = 978-0-231-15937-1}} According to the 2010 Census, Bergen County had the highest per capita population of Koreans of any United States county,{{cite web|url=http://www.northjersey.com/news/business/167951555_Korean_company_to_buy_Fort_Lee_bank_buying_local_lender.html|title=Korean company to buy Fort Lee bank|author=Richard Newman|publisher=North Jersey Media Group|date=2012-08-30|access-date=2012-08-30|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131014140239/http://www.northjersey.com/news/business/167951555_Korean_company_to_buy_Fort_Lee_bank_buying_local_lender.html|archive-date=2013-10-14}} at 6.3%, including all of the nation's top ten municipalities by percentage of Korean population.{{cite web|url=http://www.northjersey.com/news/mahwah-library-hosts-korean-tea-ceremony-to-celebrate-new-year-1.1275756|title=Mahwah library hosts Korean tea ceremony to celebrate new year|author=James O'Neill|publisher=North Jersey Media Group|date=February 22, 2015|access-date=February 22, 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150222201039/http://www.northjersey.com/news/mahwah-library-hosts-korean-tea-ceremony-to-celebrate-new-year-1.1275756|archive-date=February 22, 2015}} In 2012, the county mandated the publication of voting ballots in the Korean language.{{cite web|url=http://www.northjersey.com/news/bergen/Korean_language_ballots_coming_to_Bergen_County.html|title=Korean language ballots coming to Bergen County|author=Karen Sudol and Dave Sheingold|publisher=North Jersey Media Group|date=2011-10-12|access-date=2012-08-30}}{{cite news|last = Norcross|title = Primary Election Ballots Printed in Korean For First Time|newspaper = Teaneck Patch|date = June 3, 2014|url = http://teaneck.patch.com/groups/politics-and-elections/p/primary-election-ballots-printed-in-korean-for-first-f2abecea03|access-date = 2014-05-11}}
The two most prominent Koreatowns{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5PSYZMs8TzEC&q=fort+lee+koreatown+pyong+min&pg=PA237|title=Asian Americans: Contemporary Trends and Issues Second Edition, Edited by Pyong Gap Min|publisher=Pine Forge Press - An Imprint of Sage Publications, Inc.|year=2006|access-date=2010-11-07|isbn=978-1-4129-0556-5}} are centered along Broad Avenue in Palisades Park{{cite web|url=http://www.northjersey.com/news/174039211.html|title=New Jersey's Korean community awakens politically|publisher=North Jersey Media Group|author=Rebecca D. O'Brien|date=2012-10-14|access-date=2012-10-19}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.seriouseats.com/dining-out-5118039|title=Dining Out|website=Serious Eats}} and Leonia, Ridgefield and around the intersection of Main Street and Lemoine Avenue in Fort Lee, close to the George Washington Bridge.{{cite web|url=http://www.northjersey.com/news/bergen/bergen_news/North_Jersey_Korean-Americans_relieved_but_worried_about_transition.html|title=North Jersey Korean-Americans relieved but worried about transition|author=John C. Ensslin|publisher=North Jersey Media Group|date=2011-12-20|access-date=2011-12-23}}{{cite web|url=http://www.northjersey.com/news/Korean_War_vets_honored__at_Cresskill_church.html|title=Korean War vets honored at Cresskill church|publisher=North Jersey Media Group|date=2011-06-26|access-date=2011-12-23}}{{cite web|url=http://www.northjersey.com/news/crime_courts/113719969_Kim_named_Central_Municipal_Court_judge.html|title=Hackensack attorney appointed to court|date=2011-01-15|publisher=North Jersey Media Group|access-date=2011-12-23|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110120003001/http://www.northjersey.com/news/crime_courts/113719969_Kim_named_Central_Municipal_Court_judge.html|archive-date=2011-01-20}} Both districts have developed dining destinations for Korean cuisine,{{cite web|url=http://snoh.wordpress.com/2007/06/11/palisades-park-nj-k-town-west-of-hudson/|title=Palisades Park, NJ: K-Town West of Hudson|date=11 June 2007|publisher=WordPress.com|access-date=June 5, 2014}}{{cite web|url=http://njmonthly.com/articles/best-of-Jersey/seoul_mates.html|title=Thriving Korean communities make Fort Lee and Palisades Park a boon to epicures.|publisher=New Jersey Monthly Magazine|author=Karen Tina Harrison|date=2007-12-19|access-date=June 5, 2014}}{{cite news|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748704330404576291030180585192|title=Bergen County's Fort Lee: Town With a View|author=Melanie Lefkowitz|newspaper=The Wall Street Journal|date=2011-04-30|access-date=June 5, 2014}} while Broad Avenue in Palisades Park has evolved into a dessert destination as well.{{cite web|url=http://www.northjersey.com/food_dining/244591021_The_sweets_of_Palisades_Park.html|title=Ung: Destination spot for desserts|author=Elisa Ung|publisher=North Jersey Media Group|date=February 9, 2014|access-date=February 9, 2014}}{{cite web|url=http://www.northjersey.com/food-and-dining-news/dining-news/five-korean-dishes-to-try-this-summer-1.1034170|title=Five Korean dishes to try this summer|author=Elisa Ung|publisher=North Jersey Media Group|date=June 12, 2014|access-date=June 12, 2014}} Koreatown, Palisades Park has been nicknamed the Korean village{{cite web|url=http://www.town-court.com/getTownCourt.php?courtID=1071|title=Palisades Park Municipal Court|publisher=SpinJ Corporation|access-date=January 12, 2017}} and Koreatown on the Hudson.{{cite web|url=http://www.northjersey.com/story/life/food/2017/01/12/korean-food-crawl-kimchi-smokes-rob-cho/96461674/|title=Korean Food Crawl with Kimchi Smoke's Rob Cho|author=Sophia F. Gottfried|publisher=NorthJersey.com |date=January 12, 2017|access-date=January 12, 2017}} The Chusok Korean Thanksgiving harvest festival has become an annual tradition celebrated in Overpeck County Park.{{cite web|url=http://www.northjersey.com/community/Koreans_in_North_Jersey_give_thanks_at_harvest_festival___.html?page=all|title=Koreans in North Jersey give thanks at harvest festival|author=Mary Diduch|publisher=North Jersey Media Group|date=September 14, 2013|access-date=September 15, 2013}} Korean chaebols have established North American headquarters operations in Bergen County, including Samsung,{{cite web|url=http://www.hoovers.com/company-information/cs/company-profile.Samsung_Electronics_America_Inc.8c8cfbc91c0d265a.html|title=Samsung Electronics America, Inc. Company Profile|publisher=Hoover's Inc|access-date=March 6, 2017}} LG Corp,{{cite web|url=http://www.northjersey.com/story/news/bergen/englewood-cliffs/2017/02/07/lg-breaks-ground-englewood-cliffs-hq/97400212/|title=LG breaks ground on Englewood Cliffs HQ|author=Michael W. Curley Jr.|publisher=NorthJersey.com |date=February 7, 2017|access-date=March 6, 2017}} and Hanjin Shipping.{{cite web|url=http://www.northjersey.com/news/stranded-container-ship-gets-go-ahead-to-dock-in-elizabeth-1.1663365|title=Stranded container ship gets go-ahead to dock in Elizabeth|author=Richard Newman|publisher=NorthJersey.com via Gannett|date=September 20, 2016|access-date=March 6, 2017|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160921193125/http://www.northjersey.com/news/stranded-container-ship-gets-go-ahead-to-dock-in-elizabeth-1.1663365|archive-date=September 21, 2016}} Korean professionals have also expanded northward into the Northern Valley area and more recently, into adjacent Rockland County, New York. Route 303 in Tappan, New York, Rockland County, has become the hub of Korean activity in the Lower Hudson Valley area.{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/12/15/realestate/a-picturesque-and-historic-hamlet.html |title=A Picturesque And Historic Hamlet |newspaper=The New York Times |first=Cheryl |last=Platzman Weinstock |date=December 15, 1996 |page=3}}
===Oakland, California===
The largest concentration of Korean businesses and community services in the San Francisco Bay Area is centered on Oakland's Telegraph Avenue between 20th and 35th Streets between Downtown Oakland and the Temescal district. Roughly 150 Korean-owned businesses are located in the neighborhood, including a shopping center and Korean American community centers. This segment of Telegraph Avenue is lined with bright banners proclaiming the district as "Koreatown-Northgate" with the slogan "Oakland's got Seoul" and accompanied by an annual cultural festival. Officially named "Koreatown-Northgate", the area was characterized by urban decay before Korean Americans began opening businesses and reviving the area in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Before 1991, the area was characterized by homelessness and crime and was known as the Northgate district. The aftermath of the Los Angeles Riots of 1992 also saw a large number of Koreans from Southern California moving to the Bay Area and opening businesses and buying property in the district on a large scale.{{cite news|url=http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Oakland-s-got-Seoul-Koreatown-emerges-as-hub-of-2810111.php#page-1|title=Oakland's got Seoul / Koreatown emerges as hub of Asian culture and downtown's rebirth|date=June 13, 2002|work=SF Gate|location=Oakland|first=Chuck|last=Squatriglia}} There has been criticism from the non-Korean residents about the city officially naming the district Koreatown, mostly from the African American population who form the majority in the area. Despite Korean Americans owning much of the property in the neighborhood, the largest group of residents still remains African American.{{cite news|url=http://www.eastbayexpress.com/gyrobase/oakland_s_koreatown_isn_t_your_typical_ethnic_enclave/Content?oid=975400&page=1|title=Oakland's Koreatown Isn't Your Typical Ethnic Enclave|last=Richards|first=Kathleen|date=May 6, 2009|work=East Bay Express|access-date=2011-09-10|location=Oakland}} Tensions remain between African Americans and Koreans in the neighborhood, which has witnessed declines in both populations. Despite some Koreans continuing to move into the neighborhood, the majority of the Bay Area's Korean population is concentrated in the suburbs surrounding Oakland and in the South Bay.
===Philadelphia, Pennsylvania===
{{Main|Koreatown, Philadelphia}}{{Multiple image
| image1 = From-upper-darby-koreatown.jpg
| caption1 = Upper Darby is one area around Philadelphia where there are significant pockets of Korean people, at Fairfield Avenue and Garrett Road.
| image2 = CheltTwp 09.JPG
| caption2 = Professional offices along Cheltenham Avenue in Cheltenham Township, Pennsylvania, another area in the Philadelphia region with a significant Korean population
}}
Philadelphia's first Koreatown is located in the Olney section of the city. Since the late 1980s, the Korean community has expanded to the north and now straddles the border between Philadelphia proper and the suburb of Cheltenham, though many Korean American businesses and organizations and some residents remain in Olney and adjoining neighborhoods. Upper Darby Township, bordering West Philadelphia, also has a large Korean American population;{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QQKq4mtdWv8C&q=koreatown+upper+darby&pg=PA56|title=Dynamics of Ethnic Identity: Three Asian American Communities in Philadelphia|author=Jae-Hyup Lee|isbn=9780815331186|year=1998|publisher=Taylor & Francis }} meanwhile, a rapidly growing Korean population and commercial presence has emerged in nearby suburban Cherry Hill, New Jersey since 2010, centered along Marlton Pike.{{cite web|url=http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/13_5YR/DP05/0600000US3400712280|title=ACS DEMOGRAPHIC AND HOUSING ESTIMATES - Cherry Hill township, Camden County, New Jersey - 2009-2013 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=April 26, 2015|archive-url=https://archive.today/20150427015821/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/13_5YR/DP05/0600000US3400712280|archive-date=April 27, 2015|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|url=http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_DP/DPDP1/0600000US3400712280|title=Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics - Cherry Hill township, Camden County, New Jersey - 2010 Demographic Profile Data|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=April 26, 2015|archive-url=https://archive.today/20200212102255/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_DP/DPDP1/0600000US3400712280|archive-date=February 12, 2020|url-status=dead}}{{cite news|url=http://traveltips.usatoday.com/korean-restaurant-cherry-hill-new-jersey-102541.html|title=Korean Restaurants in Cherry Hill, New Jersey|author=Richard Manfredi, Demand Media|newspaper=USA Today|access-date=April 26, 2015}}
===Washington, D.C.===
Koreatown in Annandale, Virginia{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/03/05/AR2006030500797.html|title=More Than Koreatown|author=Elissa Silverman|newspaper=washingtonpost.com|date=2006-03-06|access-date=2010-11-20}}{{cite web|url=http://www.washingtonian.com/articles/diningguides/2802.html|title=Good Choices in Annandale's Koreatown|publisher=washingtonian.com|date=2003-04-01|access-date=2010-11-20}}{{cite web|url=http://culinarytravel.about.com/od/planningculinarytravel/qt/Koreatown-Restaurants-In-Los-Angeles-New-York-Annandale-Chicago-And-Toronto.htm|title=Koreatown Restaurants in Los Angeles, New York, Annandale, Chicago and Toronto|author=Alison Wellner|publisher=About.com|access-date=2010-11-20|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110707074829/http://culinarytravel.about.com/od/planningculinarytravel/qt/Koreatown-Restaurants-In-Los-Angeles-New-York-Annandale-Chicago-And-Toronto.htm|archive-date=2011-07-07}} starts at the intersection of Little River Turnpike and Hummer Road, runs for 1.5 miles to the turnpike's intersection with Evergreen Lane and provides a hub for the 93,787 individuals of Korean descent residing in the Washington-Baltimore-Northern Virginia, DC-MD-VA-WV Combined Statistical Area, as estimated by the 2009 American Community Survey.{{cite web|url=http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/ADPTable?_bm=y&-context=adp&-qr_name=ACS_2009_1YR_G00_DP5&-ds_name=ACS_2009_1YR_G00_&-tree_id=309&-redoLog=true&-_caller=geoselect&-geo_id=33000US548&-format=&-_lang=en|title=Washington-Baltimore-Northern Virginia, DC-MD-VA-WV CSA - ACS Demographic and Housing Estimates: 2009|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|access-date=2010-11-07|archive-url=https://archive.today/20200211181930/http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/ADPTable?_bm=y&-context=adp&-qr_name=ACS_2009_1YR_G00_DP5&-ds_name=ACS_2009_1YR_G00_&-tree_id=309&-redoLog=true&-_caller=geoselect&-geo_id=33000US548&-format=&-_lang=en|archive-date=2020-02-11|url-status=dead}} According to the Boston Globe, over 1,000 Korean-owned businesses are in Annandale. They cater to Koreans as well as non-Koreans. Businesses and establishments include accountants, banks, bakeries, billiards, bookstores, churches, college preparatory classrooms, cybercafés, department stores, newspapers, optometrists, real estate offices, restaurants and salons.{{cite news|url=https://www.boston.com/travel/getaways/us/articles/2010/05/23/washington_dc_an_unsung_destination_for_new_food_experiences/|title=Capital melting pot? Not when it comes to food|author=Amanda Abrams|newspaper=The Boston Globe|date=2010-05-23|access-date=2010-11-06}}
=East Asia=
==Mainland China==
{{Main|Koreans in China|Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture}}
The population of Koreans in China include millions of descendants of Korean immigrants with citizenship of the People's Republic of China, as well as smaller groups of South and North Korean migrants, with a total of roughly 2.3 million people as of 2009. China has the largest ethnic Korean population living outside mainland Korea.
Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture has 854,000 ethnic Koreans living there who are {{transliteration|ko|Joseonjok}} or {{transliteration|ko|Chosŏnjok}} ({{Korean|조선족}}), {{lang|zh-Latn-pinyin|Cháoxīanzú}} ({{zh|t=朝鮮族}}) and form one of the 56 ethnicities officially recognized by the Chinese government.
===Beijing===
{{Main|Koreans in Beijing|Wangjing, Beijing|Wudaokou}}
There are roughly 200,000 Koreans living in Beijing, including 120,000 Chosŏnjok/Joseonjok (ethnic Korean citizens of China) and about 80,000 South Korean migrants.{{harvnb|MOFAT|2011|p=51}} Prominent areas include Wudaokou and Wangjing.
There are two Koreatowns in Beijing: The bigger Korean enclave is in Wangjing in the Chaoyang district. There are many Korean companies who have established their businesses in Wangjing. Wangjing also has an all-Korean international school (all grade levels) in the Wangjing vicinity. Many of the Korean businesses in Wangjing cater towards families, businessmen, students and tourists with restaurants, bath houses/spas, bookstores, clubs/bars, golfing and Korean banks. Although Wangjing is known as a Korean district, there is a great number of third- and fourth-generation Korean Chinese ethnic minorities who live and coexist with South Korean nationals.
The second Koreatown, Wudaokou, is in the Haidian district where most of the city's universities are. Because of the vibrant university scene in Wudaokou, there are many Korean college students who live and attend universities in this area.{{cite web|last = Kim|first=Kiho|title = Koreatown Grows in District of Beijing. the area code is 504.|url = http://www.arirang.co.kr/News/News_View.asp?nseq=74583&code=Ne6&category=7|work=Arirang News}}
Although the Korean districts are on different ends of the city, Wangjing and Wudaokou are connected by subway line 13.
===Qingdao===
An estimated 182,000 ethnic Koreans live in Qingdao, Shandong Province, including 134,000 Chosŏnjok/Joseonjok and 48,000 South Korean migrants.{{harvnb|MOFAT|2011|p=58}}
===Shenyang===
=== Shanghai ===
{{Main|Koreatown, Shanghai}}
86,000 Koreans live in Shanghai, including 65,000 Chosŏnjok/Joseonjok and 21,000 South Korean migrants.{{harvnb|MOFAT|2011|p=53}} Longbai in the Minhang district, to the west of the city, has a Korean-oriented neighborhood.
==Hong Kong==
{{Main|Korean Street, Hong Kong}}
In 2011, there were 13,288 individuals of Korean descent in Hong Kong.{{citation|url=http://www.mofat.go.kr/webmodule/htsboard/template/read/korboardread.jsp?typeID=6&boardid=232&seqno=334627&c=&t=&pagenum=1&tableName=TYPE_DATABOARD&pc=&dc=&wc=&lu=&vu=&iu=&du=|script-title=ko:재외동포 본문(지역별 상세) |publisher=Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade|date=2011-07-15|access-date=2012-02-25|page=59|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120526030718/http://www.mofat.go.kr/webmodule/htsboard/template/read/korboardread.jsp?typeID=6&boardid=232&seqno=334627&c=&t=&pagenum=1&tableName=TYPE_DATABOARD&pc=&dc=&wc=&lu=&vu=&iu=&du=|archive-date=2012-05-26|title= }} Kimberley Street in Tsim Sha Tsui has Korean restaurants and grocery stores; and is known by the local nicknames Korean Street and Little Korea ({{zh|t=小韓國}}).
==Japan==
{{Further|Korea under Japanese rule|Koreans in Japan}}
File:Kimchi shop by Ken OHYAMA in Tsuruhashi Market, Osaka.jpg
During the Korea under Japanese rule, approximately 2.4 million ethnic Koreans emigrated to Japan. Some for economic reasons and some were forced to move during the Second World War to work as laborers. While most departed after the war, still many chose to remain and were joined in the 1950s by a wave of refugees from Jeju Island. Today, Koreans, known as Zainichi Koreans ({{langx|ko|재일조선인|label=none}}, Chaeilchosŏnin/Jaeil-Joseonin, who on paper retain the nationality of the old Korea) or Zainichi Koreans ({{langx|ko|재일한국인|label=none}}, Chaeil-han'gugin/Jaeil Hangugin, who have adopted South Korean nationality), are the third ethnic minority in Japan, amounting to 432,000 in 2024.{{Cite web |last=【令和6年末】公表資料(PDF : 5.0MB)PDFファイル(別ウィンドウで開く) |date=2025-03-14 |title=【令和6年末】公表資料(PDF : 5.0MB)PDFファイル(別ウィンドウで開く) |url=https://www.moj.go.jp/isa/content/001434755.pdf |access-date=2025-04-02}} Those with North Korean ties are a key source of remittances to North Korea. There is a separate group of more recent migrants from South Korea with strong links to their home country, and there is a considerable cultural gap between these so-called "newcomers" and the Zainichi Koreans.
A shantytown of former forced laborers, Utoro district, exists in Uji, part of Kyoto Prefecture.{{Cite news |last=McCurry |first=Justin |date=2022-07-18 |title='Utoro is my identity': can a museum heal the scars of Korean migrants in Japan? |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jul/18/utoro-is-my-identity-can-a-museum-heal-the-scars-of-korean-migrants-in-japan |access-date=2023-09-19 |issn=0261-3077}}
===Osaka===
{{Main article|Ikuno Korea Town}}
Ikuno Korea Town in Osaka has a population of over 57,000,{{Cite web |title=大阪市外国人住民国籍別区別人員数 |url=https://www.city.osaka.lg.jp/shimin/cmsfiles/contents/0000431/431477/01_suii(R6)0204.pdf |access-date=2025-04-02 |website=city osaka}} making it the largest in Japan. In Ikuno Ward, 1r% of the inhabitants are of Korean origin.{{Cite web |title=住民基本台帳人口・外国人人口(令和6年9月末日現在) |url=https://www.city.osaka.lg.jp/shimin/page/0000006893.html#06_12 |access-date=2025-04-02 |website=Osaka city}} Tsuruhashi in the Ward is the largest Koreatown in Japan and is dominated by Jeju Islanders. Imazato-Shinchi is an area increasingly dominated by recent South Korean "new-comers". The total Korean population in Osaka prefecture amounted to 93,000 in 2022.{{Cite web |title=在留外国人統計テーブルデータ(令和4年末現在) |url=https://www.e-stat.go.jp/stat-search/files?page=1&layout=datalist&toukei=00250012&tstat=000001018034&cycle=1&year=20220&month=24101212&tclass1=000001060399&result_back=1&cycle_facet=tclass1%3Acycle&tclass2val=0&metadata=1&data=1 |access-date=2023-07-16}}
===Tokyo===
{{Further|Ōkubo, Tokyo}}
File:Edakawa Korean town in 1953 (3).JPG in 1953]]
According to official statistics in 2024, the Korean population in Tokyo amounted to 96,000, which was the second largest following that of Osaka.
Tokyo's Korean-oriented commercial centre is located in the district of Okubo around the area of Shin-Okubo Station and Okubo Station in Shinjuku Ward. Shinjuku Ward itself has over 9,100 registered Korean residents,{{Cite web |title=新宿区 住民基本台帳の外国人住民国籍別男女別人口 |url=https://www.city.shinjuku.lg.jp/content/000372118.pdf |access-date=2023-07-16 |website=Shinjuku City}} representing over 10% of the registered Korean residents in Tokyo.{{Cite web|title=第2表 国籍・地域別外国人人口(令和3年1月1日現在)|url=https://www.toukei.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/gaikoku/2021/ga21ef0200.pdf|access-date=2021-09-13|website=Tokyo City}} Unlike other Japanese Koreatowns, the Okubo Koreatown developed after World War II and is dominated by "new-comers" - recent immigrants from South Korea who have retained their ethnic and cultural identity, as can be seen from the ubiquitous signs written in hangul.
One of the contributing factors in the development of Okubo into a Korean area was the low rents. The low rents and willingness of landlords to accept foreign tenants attracted Korean and other Asian migrants to the area.{{cite journal|last=Khan|first=Shahed|author2=Jake Schapper |title=Ethnic Clusters and the Urban Planning System: The Japanese Experience|journal=The International Journal of Diversity in Organizations, Communities & Nations|year=2010|volume=10|issue=3|pages=91–110|doi=10.18848/1447-9532/CGP/v10i03/39873}} These businesses cater to the migrant community and increasingly Japanese who come to experience ethnic cuisine. Other immigrants from China, Taiwan, Southeast Asia, and various other nationalities including Muslim and Nepali operated stores make this one of the most colourful and multicultural areas in Tokyo.
The area around Mikawashima station on the Jōban Line, to the north of the city, is a Koreatown dominated by Zainichi immigrants from Jeju island.
Also noteworthy is a smaller-scale Zainichi Korean quarter to the southeast of Ueno station, and to the southwest, a community of South Korean "new-comers".
===Shimonoseki===
Green Mall in Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi is a Koreatown. It is also known as "Little Pusan" partly because of the Kanpu ferry that goes to the city of Pusan in South Korea.
==Taiwan==
{{Main|Koreans in Taiwan}}
A small Koreatown exists in Zhongxing Street located in Yonghe District, New Taipei City
=Southeast Asia=
==Indonesia==
{{Main|Koreans in Indonesia}}
A 31,000 m2 Koreatown block is being constructed on north Jakarta Pulomas. Upon its completion, it will be the first artificially made Koreatown in the world with 7 blocks and 9 buildings.{{cite web |url=http://www.tempointeractive.com/hg/nasional/2008/09/13/brk,20080913-135241,uk.html |title=Tempointeraktif.com - Investors to Advance Funds at Korea Town in Jakarta |publisher=Tempointeractive.com |date=2008-09-13 |access-date=2010-05-13 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716210635/http://www.tempointeractive.com/hg/nasional/2008/09/13/brk,20080913-135241,uk.html |archive-date=2011-07-16 }}
Koreans in Indonesia number approximately 40,000, which makes Indonesia the 12th largest country with Koreans living outside Korea.[http://sg.rumah123.com/front_end/news_property_detil.php?articleID=87 Rumah123.com - Berita seputar Rumah123.com] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071217141120/http://sg.rumah123.com/front_end/news_property_detil.php?articleID=87 |date=2007-12-17 }}
==Malaysia==
{{Main|Koreans in Malaysia}}
===Kuala Lumpur===
{{Main|Sri Hartamas|Ampang, Kuala Lumpur|Mont Kiara}}
There are more than 20,000 Koreans living in the capital of Malaysia. Sri Hartamas is an affluent residential township in the city which houses many migrants families, particularly from Korea. There are two Korean supermarkets in the area - Seoul Mart and Lotte Mart, various Korean restaurants and many Korean hair salons. Malaysia's first officially registered school for Korean nationals, the Malaysia Korean School, was established on 7 December 1974; it had 26 teachers and enrolled 148 students as of 2006. It is located on Jalan Ampang.
==Philippines==
{{Main|Koreans in the Philippines}}
File:Korea Town of Angeles City, Pampanga.jpg serves as a welcome of Filipino-Korean Communities within the city, a number of various Korean Establishments and significant Ethnic Koreans that concentrated in Fil-Am Friendship Highway.]]
The most well-known Koreatown in the Metro Manila area is located in Makati's Barangay Poblacion. Most of the Korean businesses can be found in the area bounded north–south by JP Rizal Avenue and Jupiter, and east–west by Makati Avenue and Rockwell Drive, with P. Burgos running roughly through the middle of the area. In Quezon City, the Kalayaan Plaza Building has various Korean businesses, apartments and a church (one of seven or eight Korean churches in QC that existed in 2005).
On Angeles, Pampanga. Anunas is the barangay that houses the city's Koreatown, a chain of Korean establishments along the Fil-Am Friendship Highway. Anunas is also identified as one of the growth centers of the city, focusing on light industries such as woodcarving and rattan craft.{{Cite web|date=2015-10-11|title=Korean Town|url=https://angelescity.ph/korean-town/|access-date=2020-12-10|website=Angeles City Hotels, Nightlife, Restaurants|language=en-US}}
In Iloilo City, a commercialized Koreatown known as K-Town, located in Iloilo Business Park, features a lineup of Korean stores and restaurants. Since its establishment, it has become the primary venue for most Korean-related activities in the city.{{Cite web |last=Guardian |first=Daily |date=2022-08-25 |title=First Korean-themed destination in Iloilo opens at Festive Walk Iloilo with grander K-experiences |url=https://dailyguardian.com.ph/first-korean-themed-destination-in-iloilo-opens-at-festive-walk-iloilo-with-grander-k-experiences/#:~:text=As%20the%20first%20Korean%20destination,the%20K-Town%20Grand%20Launch. |access-date=2025-02-11 |website=Daily Guardian |language=en-US}} K-Town is also home to a commemorative historical marker celebrating the friendship between the Ilonggo and Korean people.{{Cite web |last=Guardian |first=Daily |date=2023-05-05 |title=DG unveils commemorative markers at K-Town and Megaworld Substation |url=https://dailyguardian.com.ph/dg-unveils-commemorative-markers-at-k-town-and-megaworld-substation/ |access-date=2025-02-11 |website=Daily Guardian |language=en-US}}
Currently, Manila Mayor Isko Moreno and South Korea Ambassador to the Philippines Kim Inchul are in talks about establishing a "Korea Town" in Manila's Malate district{{Cite web|url=https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/metro/779056/isko-sokor-envoy-discuss-building-korea-town-in-malate-manila/story/|title = Isko, SoKor envoy discuss building 'Korea Town' in Malate, Manila| date=10 March 2021 }}
==Singapore==
{{Main|Koreans in Singapore|Bukit Timah|Tanjong Pagar#Little Korea}}
File:Korean BBQ restaurants along Tanjong Pagar Road.jpg in the Central Region of Singapore]]
There are Koreatowns in the Upper Bukit Timah area and the Tanjong Pagar area, both within the Central Region of Singapore, due to the large number of Koreans living in these two areas. Following the increase in the Korean population, the number of restaurants and retailers aimed at the community is on the rise, with a majority of these establishments setting up in Tanjong Pagar.{{cite web|url=https://www.ladyironchef.com/tag/tanjong-pagar-korean-restaurants/|title=Tanjong Pagar Korean Restaurants | publisher=ladyironchef|date=July 29, 2019|access-date=May 11, 2020}} Koreans in Singapore formed a population of 21,203 individuals as of 2023, according to the South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.{{Cite book|publisher=Ministry of Foreign Affairs|location=South Korea|year=2023|access-date=June 8, 2024|url=https://www.oka.go.kr/oka/information/know/status/|title=Status of Overseas Koreans from Overseas Korean Office}}{{cite web|url=http://www.soshiok.com/article/2179|title=Welcome to Koreatown, S'pore.|access-date=2010-12-26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716110052/http://www.soshiok.com/article/2179|archive-date=2011-07-16|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|url=http://www.tnp.sg/content/korean-wave-descends-tanjong-pagar|title=Korean wave descends on Tanjong Pagar.|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131006175735/http://www.tnp.sg/content/korean-wave-descends-tanjong-pagar|archive-date=2013-10-06}}
==Thailand==
==Vietnam==
{{Main|Koreans in Vietnam}}
Koreans in Vietnam is a community of Vietnam with a population of Korean migrants along with Vietnamese citizens of Korean ancestry. The population initially came in a military capacity, fighting on both sides of the Vietnam War. After the end of the war, there was little Korean migration or tourism in Vietnam, until the rise of the South Korean economy and the decline of the North resulted in an influx of South Korean investors and North Korean defectors, as well as South Korean men seeking Vietnamese wives. As of 2011, according to statistics of South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, they numbered roughly eighty thousand people, making them the second-largest Korean diaspora community in Southeast Asia, after the Korean community in the Philippines and the tenth-largest in the world. A more recent estimate from Vietnam Television says their population might be as large as 130,000.
=Central Asia=
==Kazakhstan==
{{See also|Koryo-saram#Central Asia}}
=Europe=
==United Kingdom==
{{Main|British Koreans}}
===London===
{{main|New Malden#Korean community}}
The south west London suburb of New Malden is home to the largest population of both South Koreans and North Koreans in Europe. One-third of New Malden residents are Korean and the town is a cultural hub for British Koreans. Korean businesses include two large supermarkets (H Mart and Korea Foods), several corner shops, cafés, karaoke bars, travel agents, hair dressers, butchers and over 20 restaurants.{{cite news|last1=Fischer|first1=Paul|title=The Korean Republic of New Malden: How Surrey became home to the 70|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/the-korean-republic-of-new-malden-how-surrey-became-home-to-the-70-year-old-conflict-10063055.html|access-date=15 June 2019|work=The Independent|date=22 February 2015|language=en}}{{cite news|title=Tensions from Korea spread to London's Koreatown|url=https://www.economist.com/britain/2018/08/09/tensions-from-korea-spread-to-londons-koreatown|newspaper=The Economist|date=9 August 2018}}
=Oceania=
==Australia and New Zealand==
{{Main|Korean Australians|Korean New Zealanders}}
===Sydney===
Koreatown in the Sydney central business district is located around Pitt Street between Bathurst and Goulburn streets and Liverpool Street between George and Elizabeth streets.{{cite web | title=Koreatown Sydney | website=WA Tourism | url=https://www.watourism.com.au/attractions/activities/nsw/sydney-city/koreatown-sydney/20080 | access-date=21 September 2021}} The area contains many retail businesses such as restaurants, grocers, travel agents, and bars on a block between Liverpool Street.{{cite web| url=https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3087309/how-koreans-restaurants-sydney-are-transforming-citys-late| title=How Korean restaurants in Sydney are transforming city's late-night dining scene| website=South China Morning Post| first=Joseph| last=Lam| date=5 June 2020| access-date=21 September 2021}} Koreatown, along with the adjacent Thai Town, emerged in the early 21st century, decades after Chinatown was established nearby in 1980.{{cite web | title=The rise of Korea Town and Thai Town | website=Sydney Morning Herald| date=15 March 2011 | url=https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/the-rise-of-korea-town-and-thai-town-20110315-1bv9p.html | access-date=21 September 2021}}
The eastern part of the town centre of Eastwood, in northern Sydney, is also officially promoted as "Koreatown".[https://www.9news.com.au/national/nsw-suburbs-given-major-funding-boost-under-rebranding-initiative/e3959b2f-7c16-4bda-a730-42897feecc76 More than 20 Sydney suburbs to get buzzy 'precincts' in $200k bid to boost nightlife] Nine News In 2023, the New South Wales government finance the campaign to "market the suburb's Rowe Street East as ‘Koreatown’".{{Cite web |title=Why this Australian city is welcoming a new 'Koreatown' |url=https://www.sbs.com.au/language/korean/en/article/why-this-australian-city-is-welcoming-a-new-koreatown/wzm63bac8 |access-date=2024-11-07 |website=SBS Language |language=en}}
Other concentrations of Korean shops and restaurants, exist around the secondary transport hub of Strathfield railway station, also sometimes referred to as "Little Korea",{{cite web | title=A Trip to Little Korea | website=Broadsheet| url=https://www.broadsheet.com.au/sydney/food-and-drink/article/trip-little-korea | access-date=21 September 2021}}{{cite web | title=Exploring Strathfield (Little Korea) on a day walk | website=Travel with Joanne | date=12 August 2017 | url=https://www.travelwithjoanne.com/strathfield/ | access-date=21 September 2021}}{{cite web | title=Strathfield (Little Korea): A day walk exploring a Sydney Suburb | website=Escapesydneystays | date=12 September 2020 | url=https://escapesydneystay.com/activities/ | access-date=21 September 2021}} as well as in Campsie (said to be the first) {{cite web | title=Korea | website=Sydney Morning Herald| date=23 September 2002 | url=https://www.smh.com.au/national/korea-20020923-gdfnsc.html | access-date=21 September 2021}} which is home to the Sydney Korean Society.{{citation needed|date=September 2021}} These areas feature a concentration of restaurants and shops catering to Korean cultural needs, as well as number of Korean-speaking businesses.
===Melbourne===
Melbourne's de facto{{cite web|url=http://museumvictoria.com.au/origins/history.aspx?pid=34|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080730050605/http://museumvictoria.com.au/origins/history.aspx?pid=34|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 30, 2008|title=Origins: History of immigration from South Korea - Immigration Museum, Melbourne Australia |publisher=Museums Victoria|access-date=2010-05-13}} Koreatown is concentrated around the vicinity of La Trobe Street, specifically Healeys Lane. It also now has a distinct pocket on Victoria Street, North Melbourne directly opposite the Queen Victoria Market.
In 2024, the city council voted to officially create the Korean district, and to erect a jangseung to mark the entrance of Koreantown.{{Cite web |title=It's official, Melbourne says yes to Koreatown {{!}} City of Melbourne |url=https://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/media/its-official-melbourne-says-yes-koreatown |access-date=2024-11-07 |website=www.melbourne.vic.gov.au}}{{Cite news |date=2024-09-19 |title=How Australia's newest K-town reflects the growing influence of Korea's culture on our cities |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-09-20/korean-wave-hits-melbourne-koreatown-made-official/104348242 |access-date=2024-11-07 |work=ABC News |language=en-AU}}
See also
References
= Citations =
{{Reflist|30em}}
= Sources =
- {{citation|first1=Rogers|last1=Brubaker|first2=Jaeeun|last2=Kim|year=2010|title=Transborder Membership Politics in Germany and Korea|journal=Archives of European Sociology|volume=52|issue=1|pages=21–75|url=http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/soc/faculty/brubaker/Publications/transborder_membership_politics.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120916110928/http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/soc/faculty/brubaker/Publications/transborder_membership_politics.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 16, 2012|doi=10.1017/S0003975611000026|s2cid=37905920}}
- {{citation |url = http://www.mofat.go.kr/webmodule/htsboard/template/read/korboardread.jsp?typeID=6&boardid=232&seqno=334627&c=&t=&pagenum=1&tableName=TYPE_DATABOARD&pc=&dc=&wc=&lu=&vu=&iu=&du= |script-title=ko:재외동포 본문 (지역별 상세) |publisher = Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade |date = 2011-07-15 |access-date = 2012-02-25 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120526030718/http://www.mofat.go.kr/webmodule/htsboard/template/read/korboardread.jsp?typeID=6&boardid=232&seqno=334627&c=&t=&pagenum=1&tableName=TYPE_DATABOARD&pc=&dc=&wc=&lu=&vu=&iu=&du= |archive-date = 2012-05-26|ref={{SfnRef|MOFAT|2011}} |title= }}
External links
{{Commons category|Koreatowns}}
- [https://ssrn.com/abstract=887434 Sign Language: Colonialism and the Battle Over Text], a law journal paper about zoning ordinances in several New Jersey towns and their effects on Korean businesses
- [http://www.asian-nation.org/enclaves.shtml Asian-Nation: Asian American Ethnic Enclaves & Communities] by C.N. Le, Ph.D.
- [https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A32442-2005Mar13.html 'Koreatown' Image Divides A Changing Annandale], from the Washington Post
{{Ethnic enclaves}}
{{Korean diaspora}}