History of Koreans in Baltimore

The Korean population is anchored in central Baltimore, particularly the neighborhoods of Station North and Charles Village, a portion of which has an historic Koreatown.

[2] The Baltimore metropolitan area is home to 35,000 Koreans, many of whom live in suburban Howard County,[3] particularly Columbia and Ellicott City.

[6] The new law encouraged the immigration of skilled Korean workers, including mechanics and engineers for the city's industries.

In response, Julian Min, a political activist organized and founded The Asian-American Licensed Beverage Association of Maryland, Inc., or ALBA.

Jong-ho Lee, a businessman, owner of Penn Liquors on Greenmount Ave., served as 1st president of ALBA.

Cultural differences and language barriers, resulting in lack of communication and collaboration, have contributed to animosity between African-Americans and Koreans.

Korean-Americans feared for their personal safety after a rash of robberies and murders against Koreans and questioned whether these crimes were racially motivated.

[15] In 2012, a proposed change in the city's zoning laws made many Korean shop-owners worry that they could be put out of business.

Koreans own most corner liquor stores in Baltimore and many feel that they have been unfairly targeted by city government.

[16] In response, several dozen Korean grocery and liquor store owners have alleged they are being unfairly targeted.

[17][18] A law proposed in 2012 that would ban youths from buying any items from liquor stores was alleged to be racist against Koreans by the Korean-American Grocers & Licensed Beverage Association of Maryland.

[21] In response to the damage caused by the riots to Korean-American businesses, a performance titled "Bmore Seoul to Soul" was held in the Station North Arts and Entertainment District featuring both African-American and Korean-American dancers in an attempt to relieve tensions between the two communities.

[6] In 2017, Julian Min was appointed as Director of International Affairs, where he advocated for Koreatown in Baltimore to attract and retain Korean-American owned businesses.