On the corner of Vermont Avenue and 24th Street, one will see a new sign attached to the traffic light that notes, "The Korean Cultural Center Inc. Square."
The location is a close drive from various Korean American memorials including the Dosan Ahn Chang Ho Square on Jefferson Boulevard and Van Buren Place; the Sammy Lee Square on Olympic Boulevard and Normandie Avenue; and the Dr. Gene Kim Square on Olympic Boulevard and Vermont Avenue. The sign was officially put up on October 24, and a ceremony was held in honor of it. Los Angeles City Councilmember Marqueece Harris-Dawson, who was influential in enabling the endeavor to come through, attended the ceremony and was warmly welcomed and thanked by members of the Korean American community. Korean American clergy, including Rev. Jung Myoung Song, the president of World Mission University; Rev. Jun Sik Park, the senior pastor of Shalom Church; and Rev. Sang Hoon Lee, the senior pastor of Sung Kwang Presbyterian Church; were also present at the ceremony.
The honorary sign is located near the building where the Korean Culture Center was previously located -- a building which is now owned by Sung Kwang Presbyterian Church. (To note, the center's official name is the Korean Culture Center Inc., but the sign reads, 'Korean Cultural Center Inc. Square.')
The center was founded on April 22, 1972 by Rev. Kwang-Duk Lee to spread awareness of Korean culture in the Los Angeles community. The center included an auditorium with a 500-person capacity, and the staff who led the center were involved in various events throughout the years to spread awareness of Korean culture. Their activism was a major part of the birth of Koreatown and Korean cultural activism in Los Angeles. They participated in the Asian Cultural Festival hosted in Los Angeles in 1973, and hosted several groups of Koreans including a boys' Taekwondo team from South Korea that visited in 1974, as well as a performing arts team and a choir comprised of "chosun-jok," a colloquial term that refers to Koreans who lived in China. However, after Rev. Lee, who became heavily involved in humanitarian aid efforts for North Korean people, was detained in North Korea, much of the activities of the Korean Culture Center came to a halt.
The building that was once the Korean Culture Center was eventually sold, and years later, Sung Kwang Presbyterian Church purchased the building in 1981. Hence, the reception after the sign-hanging ceremony was held at the church building, and Rev. Sang Hoon Lee, the senior pastor of Sung Kwang, also now takes an active part in the activities of the culture center by serving on its board of directors.
This article was translated by Rachael Lee. For the original, visit kr.christianitydaily.com.
