Koreatown, Little Bangladesh Get Actual Borders

The Los Angeles City Council on Friday officially designated the boundaries of Koreatown and Little Bangladesh.

"I think it will shock people to know that we're making something official that everybody has assumed had been official for many years," said City Council President Eric Garcetti. "It's good to make history right here today."

Councilman Tom LaBonge explained: "Years ago, when they actually made the Koreatown signs -- which everybody thinks (are) official -- (then) Mayor Tom Bradley and (then-Councilman) John Ferraro, they just went up and put the signs up on a street light on Olympic. They didn't do any paperwork. This time, we went through the whole process."

Chang Lee, chairman of the Korean American Federation of Los Angeles, called it "a happy moment."

"We always knew that there was a Koreatown, but now we have this well-defined area," he said. " We're working with the neighborhoods there, so we hope to really revitalize the area in Koreatown."

Koreatown in Mid-Wilshire is bounded by Olympic Boulevard on the south; Vermont Avenue on the east; Third Street on the north; and Western Avenue on the west, plus a business corridor along Western Avenue from Third Street to Rosewood Avenue in the East Hollywood area.

Within Koreatown is Little Bangladesh, a stretch of Third Street that runs four blocks between South New Hampshire and South Alexandria avenues.

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Majib Siddiquee, who identified himself as attorney-in-fact to represent the constituent and resident stakeholders of Little Bangladesh, hailed the designation.

"When the liberation of Bangladesh was taking place, the policy of the U.S. was kind of inclined to Pakistan," he said. "We suffered during our liberation, but with today's approval from the (Los Angeles) City Council for naming Little Bangladesh, this has compensated all those scars we may have had in the past.

"We have half a million people all over the U.S. and it is a wonderful, wonderful day for all of us -- very thrilling -- and we look forward to bring our culture and all good things that we can contribute to this beautiful city," Siddiquee said.

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