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The Koreans

Strength in Numbers
The borough’s Korean population is now the third largest Asian group in Queens behind Asian Indians and the Chinese, according to the United States Census, which counted 62,130 Koreans in 2000.

Where They Live
The first Koreans who came to Queens stayed in Sunnyside, Jackson Heights, and Elmhurst—but they’ve now moved into Flushing, Bayside, Douglaston, Little Neck and Nassau County.

How They Got There
On Jan. 13, 1903, the first Korean immigrants to ever set foot on American soil arrived in Hawaii, preparing to work on a plantation there. Since then, Koreans have fought to overcome the obstacles of a militaristic government at home.

“That’s why there were very little Koreans in Queens until the eighties,” says Kwang Kim, president of the Korean American Association of Queens.

Many of the Koreans opened shops in Western Queens and Manhattan.
In the 1970s, during a time of financial crisis for the United States, Flushing was nearly empty, wide open for newly arriving immigrants to grab cheap housing.
Chinese students were buying shops there for little money. The Koreans followed, and bought shops on Northern Boulevard in Flushing.

What Makes Them
Who They Are
Much of the Korean lifestyle surrounds education and the church.

“Many Koreans are very dedicated [to the church],” says Kim. “They meet each other there, and congregations become communities.”

The Good Life
In 1997, Korea had an economic crisis. “Most Korean business people saw it coming, and put their money and business overseas,” says Kim.

Flushing was a profitable business center, he said, and many Koreans escaping the fiscal crisis invested in it, creating an increase in Korean stores in Flushing in the 1990s.

As individual Koreans become wealthier, they’ve started to move out of Flushing and into Bayside, Douglaston and Little Neck. “Koreans don’t like to own their stores like the Chinese. They like to rent their stores and own a home and buy a car. So once the Koreans made money, they moved out of Flushing and into other areas.” Kim says.

The Not-So-Good Life
Although many Korean businesses in downtown Flushing are thriving, Kim says many only try to attract Korean customers.

“The Asian population is growing and [there are] so many Chinese and Korean stores in [the] Flushing area,” he says. “But many of the stores, they target Korean customers only. In [the] future, this is bad for their business.”

Kim points out that many Korean businesses do not have English on their signs, which is against the law.

“They don’t know how to fix that,” he says.

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