Why the LA Kings Created K-Town Night Instead of Korea Night

The National Hockey League’s LA Kings are holding “K-Town Night” on the 20th for the second consecutive year. It marks only the second time an event on the NHL stage has placed Korean culture at the center of a team-hosted program. The initiative originated with Haesung Lee, 34, the only Korean employee within the LA Kings organization.

Lee joined the team in November 2023 and proposed K-Town Night just six months later. In an interview with The Korea Daily, he stated that the LA Kings had hosted events celebrating Filipino, Armenian, and Mexican cultures, but none that highlighted the Korean American community or Koreatown. He said he compiled data showing that LA Koreatown is home to what he described as the world’s largest Korean community and that interest in Korean pop culture has been expanding.

Rather than framing the event as a general “Korea Night,” Lee intentionally proposed “K-Town Night.” The goal was to move beyond a country-based cultural introduction and instead emphasize Koreatown as a uniquely local community, using LA’s distinct immigrant landscape to create stronger points of connection with fans.

Lee said Korean culture itself carries meaning, but focusing on LA’s specific Korean community and Koreatown helped differentiate the event. He added that the idea aligned with the organization’s broader internal direction toward community-centered strategies.

Preparation was not easy. Lee’s primary role is not event planning or community outreach. As a senior business intelligence analyst for the LA Kings, he analyzes large-scale data, including ticket purchase histories, website usage, and email and digital marketing performance. His work integrates large language models, machine learning, and statistical analysis to identify new business opportunities and provide analytical support for executive decision-making.

He said coordinating performers and shaping the event went beyond his formal responsibilities, but he believed the project required someone who understood both language and culture to see it through. He added that while his workload increased, he felt the effort was worthwhile if it benefited the team and the community.

The selection of the Koreatown Senior & Community Center as the performance group was deliberate. While K-pop dance teams and traditional dance troupes were considered, the team prioritized symbolism, tradition, and intergenerational connection. Programs at the senior center were viewed favorably, leading to a collaboration. Performances by the harmonica group and samulnori group drew stronger-than-expected responses, with the harmonica group later becoming an unofficial symbol of K-Town Night among fans.

Lee was born in South Korea and completed high school there before majoring in communications at the University of Iowa. He later worked in marketing at the U.S. subsidiary of Korean game developer Com2uS. After recognizing the importance of data-driven decision-making, he earned a master’s degree in business analytics from UC Irvine and subsequently joined the LA Kings.

Looking ahead, Lee hopes to integrate large language models and machine learning more deeply into business strategy and operations, generating advanced insights and sustainable value that traditional methods cannot easily produce. He added that initiatives combining data and culture, like K-Town Night, could continue to grow into experiences that fans and the community genuinely connect with and enjoy.

The second K-Town Night, held on January 20, will be larger in both scale and scope. The LA Kings have invited back the senior center’s harmonica group that drew attention last year and will install a special stage on the ice to accommodate a performance with more participants. The team will also release commemorative K-Town Night apparel created in collaboration with Korean American rapper Dumbfoundead.

BY KYEONGJUN KIM [kim.kyeongjun1@koreadaily.com]