KOREA GOALS

From vibrant soju bars to community-run clubs, Yvette Cook explores just what makes the Korea Town neighbourhood of Los Angeles one of California's most dynamic destinations

- Yvette Cook

As I stand nervously in the dark, a street lamp flickers and the sound of a car exhaust echoes down the empty six-lane street. Stepping back from a locked green door, I glance up at the red neon sign reading “DGM Soju Bar” and wonder how to enter. A young Korean-American greets his friend on the corner, eyeing me with quiet suspicion.

Sensing they are heading to the bar, I follow them on a convoluted route around the back, my shoes clicking on the aluminium stairs. Chasing aromas of garlic and chilli through a dim corridor, relief washes over me as I emerge into a courtyard strung with fairy lights, filled with chatter and clinking glasses of soju, Korea’s rice spirit.

Heading inside feels like stepping into an alleyway in Seoul with wooden booths under corrugated iron roofs and young Korean Americans perched on low plastic stools, sharing plates of kimchi pancakes and black bean noodles. Between sips of Korean beer and peach-flavoured soju, it becomes clear to me that this bar is anything but ordinary.

I’m in Koreatown, three miles west of Downtown Los Angeles. As a regular visitor to LA, it’s a neighbourhood I’ve previously only driven through. Spread across a dense three-square-mile grid with no clear centre, it’s always felt impossible to know where to start. Yet, as home to the largest Korean community outside of the country, it’s a vibrant microcosm of its global cultural rise with the energy of K-pop, the allure of Korean cinema and the irresistible flavours of its barbecue and street food scene.

With a new generation of Korean Americans giving their heritage a modern twist, I've come to discover a side of Los Angeles that lies beyond its museums, beaches and Hollywood attractions.