Korean American seniors once again filled Crypto.com Arena with the sound of harmonicas, performing the U.S. national anthem ahead of an LA Kings home game for the second year in a row.
A scene of nearly 20,000 fans singing along to the seniors’ anthem performance unfolded once again, drawing cheers across the arena and creating an emotional opening to the night.
The LA Kings hosted “K-Town Night” during their Jan. 20 home game against the New York Rangers, an event designed to spotlight Korean culture and Los Angeles’ Koreatown community.
First introduced last year as the NHL’s first official event to highlight Korean culture and the Korean American community, K-Town Night returned this year with even greater energy and turnout.
The game opened with a harmonica performance of the national anthem by the harmonica class from the LA Koreatown Senior & Community Center. While the group performed from a small stage in the middle of the stands last year, this time they took the spotlight on a special platform built directly on the ice.
A total of 32 seniors performed at the game. The senior center’s harmonica program currently has more than 70 members, and the performers were selected through a separate audition process for the event.
Youngshin Shin, chair of the senior center, said the team had practiced intensively to prepare for the performance.
Conductor Eunyoung Kim said that although it was their first time performing on such a large stage, the group was able to deliver confidently because they were together.
Among the performers was Jeungkyu Park, 81, who also played at last year’s event. Park said he felt the group showed clear improvement compared to the previous year and credited the performance to the members’ consistent practice.
In celebration of the night, the Kings also invited three Korean American veterans of the Korean War as special guests. When they appeared on the arena’s big screen during the game, the crowd responded with a round of applause. The team said the event was intended to go beyond cultural promotion and to expand into honoring the Korean American community’s history.
Korean cultural elements were woven throughout the arena. K-pop songs—including “Soda Pop,” a track featured in the film K-Pop Demon Hunters—played during breaks, and the team’s mascot entertained fans with dance performances set to the music.
The official team store also sold a limited-edition “KTOWN” jersey created in collaboration with Korean American rapper Dumbfoundead.
Hyejin Lee, who attended the game with coworkers of different ethnic backgrounds, said she came to her first hockey game after hearing it would highlight Korean culture. She added that the seniors’ harmonica performance and the K-pop atmosphere made the event feel welcoming and enjoyable.
The game was sold out with 18,145 seats filled.
Haesung Lee, a senior business intelligence analyst for the LA Kings who helped plan the event, said the game recorded the highest weekday revenue of the season. He also noted that sales of the limited K-Town ticket package—which included game tickets and an official jersey—more than doubled compared to last year’s event.
The Kings defeated the Rangers 4-3.
BY KYEONGJUN KIM [kim.kyeongjun1@koreadaily.com]
