Korean-Americans Seek Better Ways to Join, Support Community

Koreans unite

Korean-Americans seek better ways to join, support community

Erik Derr December 27, 2006

PHELAN - Fifteen years ago, Benny Kim helped plant the seeds of what he knew would be one of his most challenging projects - one that could literally change the face of the HighDesert.

The Phelan businessman, an accomplished bonsai artist, helped found the Victor Valley Korean American Association, the first known organized effort to unite members of the region's Korean population. The group now claims an estimated 500 members.

Back in the early 1990s, Korean-American residents numbered only a few hundred, but there had been a constant influx of Korean women married to American servicemen stationed at George Air Force Base. They often needed help acclimating themselves to American society. Others simply wanted to hear people who spoke their native tongue.

"Our interest was in holding our Korean community together and helping each other," said Kim, who had opened Kim's Bonsai Nursery along Phelan Road a year earlier.

The association has events and discussions on a range of subjects, from local and state issues to business strategies. The group also has periodic socials, filled with music, entertainment and food.

Kim was one of the first in a steady migration of Korean-Americans from larger urban areas. Many of those who settled here since - estimated at upwards of 6,000 - followed Kim to the unincorporated spaces of Phelan, where retail signs in Korean are plentiful along main roadways.

Kim said he moved to the HighDesert for the region's climate, which is ideal for his bonsai trees.

Michael Stenerson
Staff Photographer
Jessica Park, left, and Theodore Park try to come up with the answer to the classes trivia game at the Heart of Christ Korean School held inside the VictorvilleUnitedMethodistChurch.

Lower home prices, though, have been the primary draw for a lot of his friends, just like the multitudes of other new homebuyers continuing to pour into the region. Korean-Americans - particularly first-generation immigrants, who account for a sizable portion of the local Korean community - distrust financing, explained Realtor Kenny Kim, no relation to Benny. They prefer properties they can buy all at once, perhaps even in cash.

That's why some of the lonelier highways around the area are dotted with real estate "for sale" signs - at least partly written in Korean. Some of the heaviest concentrations of Korean-Americans live in Pinon Hills, Phelan and Helendale.

According to Kenny Kim, the real growth in the Korean population will come to the HighDesert when Korean investors establish more businesses, especially those geared toward the unique cultural and culinary needs of Korean residents. That includes Korean-language news media and stores and eateries that bring the tastes and smells of the old country closer to the new.

"Yes, it's very important to have a Korean grocery," agreed Benny Kim.

The HighDesert's last Korean grocery closed a couple of years ago, and nothing has filled the void since.

Korean-Americans desire success not only for themselves, but the entire HighDesert community, affirmed Dr. Suck-Jun Bang, who established a medical practice in Apple Valley 22 years ago.

"I can tell you, we are quite proud to live in this area, melting into U.S. society," Bang said. "I learned that, I teach that way, and I live that way."

Yet Bang and his contemporaries admit many in their community have not learned English or American culture well enough to adequately function in the bigger community. Korean-Americans, especially older ones, frequently don't know how to access public services and information that could better their lives. They have historically looked to their churches for support.

The HighDesert is no exception to that rule, with about 21 churches that cater to Korean-speaking believers.
However, explained the Rev. Seong Kim of the Heart of Christ Korean Church in Victorville, communication between churches hasn't always been the best.

That might be changing through a new effort to bring church leaders together.

Spearheaded by the Rev. Kim, whose own 20-member congregation meets at the VictorvilleUnitedMethodistChurch on La Paz, the minister's fellowship meets regularly for worship and discussion.

"My concern," said the Rev. Kim, "is not only on what happens Sundays, but how we can change the world."

Last month, the Rev. Kim and his wife, Sunny, opened a new Korean language school, classes are on Saturday mornings in the MethodistChurch's WesleyRoom. The couple hopes the school, with 10 Korean-American students, will help keep their culture alive, foster greater appreciation for Korean culture in youth and attract non-Koreans as well.

Whether residents are Korean-Americans, or part of the broader community, said the pastor, they must realize the HighDesert's future depends on their ability to care for each other.

"I think people shouldn't concern themselves as much with the big projects like the airport or the express trains," Rev. Kim said.

Instead, people need to ask "'How are you going to impact the community today? How are you going to support it?'"