Riots and Korean-Americans
Korea-Americans in Los Angeles refer to the event as "Sa-E-Gu", meaning "four-two-nine" in the Korean language, in reference to the April 29, 1992, which was the day the riots started. The riots prompted various responses from Korean-Americans, including the formation of activist organizations such as the Association of Korean-American Victims, and increased efforts to build collaborative links with other ethnic groups.
During the riots, many Korean immigrants from the area rushed to Koreatown, after Korean-language radio stations called for volunteers to guard against rioters. Many were armed, with a variety of improvised weapons, shotguns, and semi-automatic rifles.
According to Professor Edward Park, director of the Asian Pacific American Studies Program at Loyola Marymount University, the 1992 violence stimulated a new wave of political activism among Korean-Americans, but it also split them into two camps. The liberals sought to unite with other minorities in Los Angeles to fight against racial oppression and scapegoating. The conservatives emphasized law and order and generally favored the economic and social policies of the Republican Party. The conservatives tended to emphasize the political differences between Koreans and other minorities, specifically blacks and Hispanics.
One of the most iconic and controversial television images of the violence was a scene of two Korean merchants firing pistols repeatedly at roving looters. The New York Times said "that the image seemed to speak of race war, and of vigilantes taking the law into their own hands." The merchants, jewelry store and gun shop owner Richard Park and his gun store manager, David Joo, were reacting to the shooting of Mr. Park's wife and her sister by looters who converged on the shopping center where the shops were located.
Due to their low social status and language barrier, Korean Americans received very little if any aid or protection from police authorities. David Joo, a manager of the gun store, said, "I want to make it clear that we didn't open fire first. At that time, four police cars were there. Somebody started to shoot at us. The LAPD ran away in half a second. I never saw such a fast escape. I was pretty disappointed." Carl Rhyu, a participant in the Korean immigrants' armed response to the rioting, said, "If it was your own business and your own property, would you be willing to trust it to someone else? We are glad the National Guard is here. They're good backup. But when our shops were burning we called the police every five minutes; no response. At a shopping center several miles north of Koreatown, Jay Rhee, who estimated that he and others fired five hundred shots into the ground and air, said, "We have lost our faith in the police. Where were you when we needed you?" Korean Americans were ignored. Koreatown was isolated from South Central Los Angeles, yet despite such exclusion it was the heaviest hit.
The cultural differences and success of Korean Americans raised intense resentment towards their culture as they were the primary targets during the riots. Koreans were considered the “model minority” as they possessed great business success in Koreatown as small grocery and liquor stores. Blacks targeted Korean Americans, for they felt economic inequality in a nation that is considered their own. Tension had been simmering between African Americans and Koreans in Los Angeles for decades. Such conflict included the lack of the perceived exploitation and racism of the black community by Koreans, the Korean’s failure to hire blacks, the robbing and shootings of Koreans by black, and in turn the assault or death of blacks by Koreans. Korean Americans were perceived as rude, linguistically limited foreigners who exploited the black community. They were often depicted as racists, as in Ice Cube’s rap song ‘Black Korea’ displays: “Look you little Chinese motherfucker/I ain’t trying to steal none of yo’ shit, leave me alone!...So pay respect to the black fist/ or we’ll burn your store, right down to a crisp!” Blacks used Korean Americans as an outlet to their anger and suppression within society; based on such cultural perceptions, blacks felt justified in the terrorizing of Koreatown. Korean Americans were strangers to their new land, as the cultural differences, such as language, customs, success, and physical appearances, were significantly different than the majority. These differences were used as fuel to the looting and arson during the six day riot period.
Read more about this topic: 1992 Los Angeles Riots