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Immigrant Entrepreneurs and the Emergence of Koreatown:

Hi-Duk Lee moved to Los Angeles in 1968 and opened Olympic Market in 1971 – one of the first Korean markets in the heart of Koreatown. Then in 1975 he built the VIP Palace – a restaurant and nightclub on Olympic Boulevard designed to reflect traditional Korean architecture with roof tiles imported from the motherland. Together, these businesses marked the symbolic beginning of the contemporary neighborhood that is known as Koreatown today.