New York Press - ADARIO STRANGE - Manhattan’s Invisible Korean Power 05/12/07 4:00 AM

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MANHATTAN’S INVISIBLE KOREAN POWER

Discovering New York’s hidden streets and secret societies

By Adario Strange

A few years ago, I thought I lived in a non-descript part of Midtown Manhattan.

But the longer you live in New York, the more you realize that few parts of New
York are without hidden histories and discreet present-day mechanisms that are
woven into the very fabric of the city. Every now and then an errant thread pokes
through the concrete and pricks through the well-worn soles on your New York-
know-it-all-isms.

It was about 5 a.m., and the putrid smell of vegetables and sewer water mixed to
THIS WEEK'S ISSUE
form a sobering shot to the nose after a night of Manhattan bar-hopping with
[ VIEW ARCHIVE] friends. Rounding the corner of 31st Street and Broadway, the familiar neon of
Asian restaurant signs dimmed under the harsh glare of morning sky reflecting off
the hard edges of karaoke bars and ramen shops. One block to go and I’d be
able to plop face down into dreamland. Suddenly, halfway down the street I hear
what sounds like crunk-meets-j-pop leaking from a car up ahead. As I get closer,
I see them. Seven Korean 20-somethings dressed in a mash-up of Mafioso a la
Gap attire glaring at me as though I had wandered into the wrong part of town.
SEND US NEWS TIPS! Unbeknownst to me, in a way, I had. Naively, I barked, “’Sup…” as I made my
blog@nypress.com way past. This monosyllabic threat only seemed to stoke whatever fire I had first
lit by merely being in their presence. One of them yelled something at my back,
PHOTO GALLERY which, due to hangover ears or language barrier, I was unable to understand. But
the content of the retort was clear—watch it, smart-ass.
BEST OF MANHATTAN
The next block and a half was possibly one of the most delicate strolls I’ve ever Art: BRET LIEBENDORFER
MENU GUIDE had in Midtown as I pretended not to have a care in the world, proceeding to my
apartment, secretly expecting the group to break the sidewalk détente and give MORE ARTICLES
NEIGHBORHOOD GUIDE me a full—interactive—translation of anything I might have missed. Thankfully,
nothing happened. But the encounter had left a permanent impression on me. News & Columns
SUMMER GUIDE Tony Dokoupil : Finding the Face of Asian New York
The next day I stopped by the local Korean-owned café I frequented and told the Cover Story: Sidebar
COMICS story to the owner, one of the locals who I’d befriended during my time there. This Jim Knipfel : SLACKJAW
was my introduction to the name Korean Power, or K.P. According to my friend, I John DeSio : THE NEW NEWARK
NYC EYES
PERSONALS had narrowly missed having an unfortunate accident at the hands of K.P., one of Dr. Dot
the East Coast’s most notorious Asian street gangs. Joe Jervis : New York Stories
ARCHIVES Hype Stalker : Endgame
This was also my re-introduction to Korea Town. Upon moving to 31st and Adario Strange : Manhattan’s Invisible Korean Power
AD GUIDELINES Madison, I’d heard talk about the area’s Korea Town moniker, but I didn’t take it
seriously. This was Midtown Manhattan, center of the universe for business—just Sports
MASTHEAD a couple of blocks away from the Empire State Building. The few Korean C.J. SULLIVAN & DAVE HOLLANDER : Do Women
restaurants I happened to notice in passing didn’t seem to warrant the same Belong In The Dugout?
CAREERS import as Chinatown. Most native New Yorkers know that you don’t get lost in
Chinatown, because even though nothing will happen to you—probably…you
Information Agent
CONTACT US never know for sure. But Korea Town was a new mystery. Jim Knipfel : CRIME FIGHTING ROBOTS
Steve McCauley : Bloomberg’s Giuliani Dodging
Up until then, none of my Korean friends had ever mentioned anything about the Steve McCauley : BKLYN CELEBS VS. RATNER
dark side of Korean New York. But in this instance, my friend flat out admitted to Steve McCauley : CRIME FIGHTING ROBOTS HELL
paying K.P. for permission to do business on that street. Despite his perfect DOWN IN GREENPOINT
Search All Classified English, GQ attire and wide ranging intellectual gifts, he also seemed to think Crime Blotter
there was no way to avoid figuring K.P. into his budget. That day I spent several
hours listening to my friend’s colorful K.P. tales. Horoscopes
Caeriel : Sign Language
Apparently, Korea Town, and K.P. are far more real than many New Yorkers
know. One of the rare high-profile K.P. incidents occurred in 1993 when five
Sign Up Here members of K.P. were arrested in an apartment at 50 West 34th Street and Crossword
For NY Press Joe diPietro : Puzzle Solution
charged with extorting hundreds of Korean owners of restaurants, shops and
Newsletter, karaoke bars for about $250 a week at each location. As recently as March of
Events and this year, authorities arrested Gina Kim and Geeho Chae for running an
underground Korean prostitution ring. The surprise piece of the puzzle was the READER TOOLS
Giveaways! arrest of police officers Dennis Kim and Jerry Svoronos for allegedly assisting the E-Mail the Editor
E-Mail Address illegal venture.
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Crime stats reveal that there are criminal elements in virtually every immigrant
community in New York. But the normally squeaky clean public profile— E-Mail this story
SUBSCRIBE
stereotypical or not—of most Asian communities in New York can sometimes
UNSUBSCRIBE obscure the truth that lies just inside the doorways of some of Manhattan’s most
I HAVE READ and prominent addresses. I spent another year in my Korea Town digs before moving

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New York Press - ADARIO STRANGE - Manhattan’s Invisible Korean Power 05/12/07 4:00 AM

prominent addresses. I spent another year in my Korea Town digs before moving
agree to the terms on. But whenever I veer into the East 30s, unlike the thousands of tourists
and conditions.
gawking at tall buildings and snapping up plastic NYC souvenir curios, my eyes
Submit unconsciously scan the many stark doorways and narrow alleys that lead into a
world few New Yorkers even know exist. Manhattan’s invisible Korean Power.

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