Hi Duk Lee
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Hi Duk Lee | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 29, 1939[1] South Korea |
| Died | March 7, 2019 (aged 79) |
| Occupation | Businessman |
| Spouse | Kil Ja Lee |
| Children | 1 son, 2 daughters |
Hi Duk Lee (July 29, 1939 – March 7, 2019) was a Korean-born American businessman. He owned more than 40 businesses in Koreatown, Los Angeles, including Korean grocery stores, restaurants and a hotel. He became known as the "pioneer" of Koreatown.[2]
Life[edit]
Lee was born in 1939 in Korea,[2] where his parents were farmers.[3] He studied engineering in Korea and worked in West Germany in 1966–1968.[3] Lee emigrated to the United States in 1968, settling in Los Angeles, California.[2][4][5]
Lee developed what came to be known as Koreatown, or "Second Seoul", in Los Angeles.[5] As early as 1971, he built the Olympic Market, "one of the first Korean-owned groceries in Los Angeles", at Olympic Boulevard and Normandie Avenue.[4] He subsequently built over 40 grocery stores and restaurants in Korean Village, as well as the VIP Hotel at 3000 West Olympic Boulevard, but he went bankrupt in 1982.[4]
With his wife Kil Ja, Lee had a son, Roger, and two daughters, Susan and Helen. He died of colon cancer on March 7, 2019, in Silver Lake, at age 79.[4][5]
References[edit]
- ^ "He Built Koreatown: Hi Duk Lee, First Korean Business Owner at Olympic and Normandie, Dies at 79". 20 March 2019.
- ^ a b c Lam, Charles (March 21, 2019). "Hi Duk Lee, Los Angeles Koreatown pioneer, dead at 79". NBC News. Retrieved March 23, 2019.
- ^ a b Quinones, Sam (December 4, 2015). "How Three Pioneering Immigrants Forever Changed the Course—and the Culture—of L.A." Los Angeles Magazine. Retrieved March 23, 2019.
- ^ a b c d Reyes-Velarde, Alejandra (March 21, 2019). "Hi Duk Lee, visionary who founded Los Angeles' Koreatown, dies at 79". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 23 March 2019.
- ^ a b c "Hi Duk Lee, Koreatown leader, dies at 79". ABC7. March 23, 2019. Retrieved March 23, 2019.
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