If one walked down Irolo St. in Los Angeles over the weekend, the sound of metal clanging could be heard past the residential area over flaming grills and chatting crowds. Squeezing past the fences, attendees found themselves in a long tunnel of tents. Vendors flanked both sides, calling out in Korean to draw potential customers. Slipping through a side entrance, the sun beat down as the source of the clanging could be seen: a grand stage of performers overlooking vibrantly-colored booths with lines of curious visitors trailing through the park.
Hundreds of thousands of attendees made their way to Seoul International Park in L.A. from October 12 to October 15 for the 50th annual Los Angeles Korean Festival. The massive event drew crowds, featuring aromatic barbecue, hundreds of vendors merchandise and performances highlighting Korean culture.
In 1974, the Los Angeles Korean Festival Foundation was founded and sought to support the immigrant community through a yearly parade that would bring them back to their Korean roots. Although the parade still is a part of the festival, it has grown to become something much more.
Now, the event stretches beyond the park, blocking off San Marino St., Normandie Ave. and Irolo St. just for the four-day event. Here, attendees get the opportunity to get a taste of Korean culture.
“I just moved to Koreatown a few months ago,” said Ryan Kim, who attended the event. “It’s cool to see a lot of Korean culture and the different products that all these different businesses are offering and showing off here.”
From vendors selling food and snacks that capture the idea of Korean street food, to the vibrant energy coming from the colorful cultural performances, the festival combines tradition and modernity. It ultimately creates an immersive experience that captures the soul of Korea right in the heart of L.A.
But it is not just local businesses showing up, as the festival’s reach is international. Jiho Kim is a freshman at the University of Southern California, but outside of his studies he works as an interpreter for Gyeongsangbuk-do, a province in South Korea looking to promote tourism in the U.S.
He wandered the festival, asking attendees to fill out a survey in exchange for a bag full of fliers and a free travel bag. He speaks on his experience at the event.
“Besides the weather, it was really hot, I think the event itself was like a ten out of ten,” said Jiho Kim. “Good food, good small businesses from Korea, good music, obviously.”
A major driving force behind the festival is the goal to help first-generation immigrants build a connection with their home country. Jake Kim’s business represents this very idea. He is the U.S. CEO of SodaGift, a business focused on making shipping goods internationally more accessible.
“Anyone living in the U.S., we send gifts to their loved ones in Korea,” he said. “This is my first time having a booth here. I didn’t expect this much crowd, so I’m really satisfied with how everything is going right now… I’m also surprised there are so many Koreans living in L.A., also, it’s so nice to see non-Korean people trying to experience Korean culture as well.”
For a four-day event, it might seem like that planning would be a job once a year, but it is quite the opposite. Across the street from the park lies a grand, old building with Korean-style architecture colored in orange and green. Inside the Koreatown Senior and Community Center lies a cluttered office where a team of organizers work tirelessly to keep the festival running.
L.A. Korean Festival Foundation Executive Director Hanna Yoon sits in front of a desk full of documents. Between filling out paperwork and responding to security concerns on her walkie-talkie, she speaks on the road leading to the yearly festivities.
“I am here nonstop, working for a whole year to prepare for this one event,” said Yoon. “It’s a lot of hours, especially with going back and forth with vendors and Korea, different times, lots of emails and two different languages.”
To Yoon, this work is personal and sees this as a major way that the Korean community L.A. can share their culture generationally.
“My husband used to come to the Korean festival,” said Yoon. “A lot of people who grow up with it, they call it ‘jangso,’ which means marketplace. He grew up coming here when he was younger, he would come here with his friends and family, and now I have an eight-year-old and she comes here and she’s been here every year since.”
Their family is like many others whose grandparents grew up with the festival and now bring their children and grandchildren to share in the festivities.
With this 50-year milestone, Yoon still feels satisfied with the growing influence of the event, even with the amount of planning put into it.
“I think that all in itself, it is pretty rewarding, and it’s good to go out there just to see people enjoying themselves,” said Yoon. “Being able to see different diverse communities come together, enjoying and embracing what Korea and American culture is all about.”
This cross-cultural appeal has drawn new vendors and attendees alike. Ivan Garcia Contreras works for El Dorado and Hustler Casino. Attendees lined up to spin a large prize wheel as Contreras handed out free tote bags.
He says that he enjoys meeting new people while getting to experience a different culture.
“It’s definitely a good culture mix,” said Contreras. “I’ve never seen any of this stuff. I did buy one thing called cinnamon punch, and it was like a Korean drink and it was delicious. Absolutely amazing.”
In expanding this audience, the vendors themselves have the chance to broaden their cultural reach. USC students might be familiar with Aloha Catering Services, which frequents the weekly Trojan Farmers Market.
Eugene Hong is the owner of the business and has been a part of the L.A. Korean Festival since 2001. One can delight in the tantalizing blend of smoky barbecue with a touch of Hawaiian flair, sure to make their mouthwatering experience simply unforgettable.
Being born and raised in Hawaii from a Korean background, he took the opportunity to combine their cultural flavors.
“I look at it as a great way to diversify, to expand,” said Hong. “Korean culture with food is the best way to share culture as Koreans, we sit down and Koreans are very festive, they’re very cultural, they love to drink and talk.”
However, his food has a bit of a twist. To Hong, this is a representation of his approach to sharing his culture.
“Growing up in Hawaii, living in Hawaii, we get accustomed to many cultures because it’s a melting pot,” Hong said. “You have the Japanese, the Filipinos, the Koreans, they all came in during the plantation about a hundred years ago or more. So, what happened is that that culture meshed together, and became like this local culture that we have.”
In its 50th year, the L.A. Korean Festival stands as a testament to the cultural bridge it has built throughout the city, helping others immerse themselves into the tapestry of Korean heritage. As the traditional performances and the delectable Korean delicacies faded into its last night, the festival’s legacy still continues to foster a deep appreciation for diversity and cultural unity in the city.
With each year, the festival has not only celebrated the past but it also paved a future where the spirited colors and flavors of Korean culture continue to spread throughout the mosaic of Los Angeles.
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