Hi Duk Lee | |
---|---|
Born | [1] South Korea | July 29, 1939
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]
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]
Hi Duk Lee | |
---|---|
Born | [1] South Korea | July 29, 1939
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]
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]