A Koreatown business spends $4,000 monthly on security amid safety concerns

Crime in Los Angeles Koreatown is at a 14-year low, but residents and business owners say they don’t feel it. Businesses are experiencing property crimes such as pickpocketing and burglary, as well as violent crimes like robbery, with some reporting that it is costing them thousands of dollars in security costs alone.

[Violent crime in Koreatown hits 14-year low, but residents aren’t feeling it]

In the past month, the Korea Daily reported seven crimes near or related to Koreatown. The violent crimes include the murder and shooting of a homeless man in MacArthur Park and a handgun robbery of a Koreatown bakery, while property crimes ranging from car thefts in apartment parking lots to burglaries at Korean-American-run pharmacies have also been reported.

Some business owners are refusing to believe that crime has decreased in Koreatown. Yongho Kim, president of the Korean American Food Industry Association said, “It’s nonsense that crime has decreased. Even recently, someone I know was hospitalized after being mugged when he was leaving his restaurant.”

“The police don’t make a difference, because no one is really responsible for our safety. I currently hire private security to stand outside my restaurant. It costs over $4,000 a month for security alone.”

Wonkyu Choi, owner of a Koreatown restaurant Byul Gobchang, said, “Honestly, I feel the security is at the same level as before. Pickpockets come in and out of the plaza regularly so that the security guards even know their faces. Just a week ago, there was another dine-and-dash incident here, but it’s not like we can’t turn away customers because they’re acting strange.”

Businesses in other industries than restaurants, also say they haven’t noticed any security improvement.

“Thieves were stealing our employees’ phones and snatching items from the store, especially when it’s crowded and busy,” said Kwangil Seo, owner of Choice Music, a music and merchandise shop in Koreatown. “If I see something suspicious, I try to pay attention to it, but I can’t do that every time, so what can I do?”

It’s not just business owners who feel this way. Residents also reported that insecurity remains high and police response is still slow.

A resident surnamed Kim, who asked not to be identified, said he was robbed of $20,000 by a group of thieves on June 11 while he was leaving a Chase Bank in Koreatown.

They punctured the wheels of his car, then approached him, pretended to help, and began to talk to him to distract him. Then, they took off with the envelope containing the cash that was in the driver’s seat, Kim explained.

“I don’t know if they’re the same people, but I’ve heard of many similar incidents at banks targeting Korean Americans,” Kim said, “but the police are too slow to respond to things like this. I wish they would take more action to bring these criminals to justice.”

Meanwhile, LAPD Olympic Station Captain Aaron Ponce told the Korea Daily on July 10, “In terms of numbers, it is true that the crime has decreased. Our crime data shows that robberies are down 4 percent, with aggravated assaults down 10 percent, burglaries down 18 percent, and vehicle thefts down 18.4 percent through June 30 compared to the same period last year. This was possible due to a combination of working with the councilmember’s office and Korean-American organizations, allocating resources appropriately, and aggressive outreach.”

“We are also working to make the most of the reduced manpower by using overtime patrol teams to watch high crime areas,” he said.

BY SUAH JANG, HOONSIK WOO [jang.suah@koreadaily.com]