Annyeonghaseyo (안녕 하세요, Hello)! New signs have been unveiled in northwest Dallas that include the Korean language, according to The Dallas Morning News. They are the first bilingual signs in the city’s history.
The Korean translation has been added to signs at the intersections of Harry Hines Boulevard, Royal Lane, and Newkirk Street. This area in North Dallas, unofficially known as “K-town,” is where most of the estimated 41,000 Korean-Americans live in Dallas, which has the ninth-largest Korean American community in the U.S. The Dallas Express previously reported that residents and business owners have been pushing for the area to be designated as Koreatown, a vision that is now coming to life.
John Lee, director of the Greater Dallas Korean American Chamber of Commerce, has been leading efforts to make this change. He said this area of town has become a vital component of Dallas commerce and should be recognized.
“Forty years ago, our immigrant generation took an impoverished industrial area, and steadily began building, putting businesses, right here. [Their] fruitful work is proudly being recognized today,” said Lee during the unveiling.
At the ceremony, community members stood alongside prominent leaders to celebrate the accomplishment. Representative Rafael Anchía, the Texas House member who represents District 103, said the state is working on filing a concurrent resolution to officially recognize Koreatown with state designation. The plan is for the designation to last 10 years before it must be renewed.
“It not only creates state recognition, but it also creates an opportunity for us to start putting signs on the interstate and state highways designating this area,” said Anchía. “I just say from the state of Texas, we’re incredibly grateful for the contributions of the community, to not only Dallas and the greater metroplex, but also to the entire state.”
The one-mile stretch of town falls in City Council Member Omar Narvaez’s district. He said Dallas wouldn’t be the same without “K-town.”
“Installing Korean/English street signs in Northwest Dallas is an important step in recognizing the important contributions of the Korean community in the city of Dallas,” Narvaez said in a written statement on Wednesday.
The unveiling of the new signs coincides with a special milestone for Korean-Americans of Dallas. Friday marks the 120th anniversary of the arrival of the first Korean immigrants to the U.S. Tina Clinton, Dallas County Court Judge, said this is a significant moment in Korean history. Clinton is the first Asian in Texas history to be elected in the criminal courts.
“Language is a huge part of the uniqueness of Korean culture, so to be able to showcase that, to show that we have a Korean American community in Dallas, makes people curious,” she told The Dallas Express. “I think it means we all learn more about each other, appreciate each other, and those differences are a plus.”
Back in November, Narvaez publicly stated his support for the project and said he hoped to start seeing the designation of Koreatown in early 2023. He said the next project is to add “Koreatown” to the Royal Lane DART station.
Hey City of Dallas….Great way to spend taxpayers hard earned dollars! You guys just don’t get it. It’s these kinds of decisions that are putting Dallas further and further down the list of desirable places to live (and I haven’t even mentioned DISD). No wonder the educated money is moving north to the gated communities of Plano, Frisco, Allen and McKinney!
I was just thinking the exact same thing myself. Don’t the Koreans stop to think that their tax dollars are being wasted on something so trivial and unnecessary that could have been better used to help their own community? Right up there with that $7.2M hair pick statue in New Orleans. Amazing how, in the present poor financial situation of this country, our governments have money to blow on symbolic nonsense.
Ah, Pap-smear. See my post above. That part of town has been gentrified and is continuing to grow and help create a larger tax base for our city. A few street signs probably don’t add up to much considering how much that area will continue to develop. Your point of view is short-sited at best.
Please move to the burbs like E H. We don’t want you here either.
Mr. Fox in the henhouse. “See my post above”. Sorry, but I tend to ignore idiocy. Most are not even going to notice the Korean symbols on the signs, so the purpose is pretty much nil and the money wasted. It’s only worth is the initial announcement for political gain. It’s not just the cost of the signs but the paid labor to replace them. The money could have been better spent by, I don’t know, maybe repaving bad streets in the Korean neighborhoods? Something actually WORTHWHILE that could make a difference for years to come. And who is this “we” you speak of? Somebody die and appoint you king? lmao
You are truly an idiot. How about thinking about the people that work and or live in that part of town? They will more than likely notice the signs because they are more than likely Korean. It’s like you can’t contain your outrage over something so insignificant. Dude, they are signs. Let it go.
And yes, I think I speak for all non-meth smoking, trailer trash, sister f-ing people of Dallas and say GTFO if you hate this city so much. Take your xenophobic views to burbs. Please. GTFO.
PS I’ll take your antiquated analogy where I’m Mr. Fox trolling in the henhouse of your clucking morons.
Great! Please move north to the suburbs. We don’t want you here. Thanks!
So the city of Dallas supports divisive racism instead of assimilation.
How is it racist by including their language in a part of town primarily of said race? The English signs weren’t taken down. That is some of the weakest logic I’ve seen on this message board.
Or these people came to this country and built something in a rundown section of the city. The signs could help the area’s continued growth bringing in more businesses to the area and creating a larger tax base.
“Forty years ago, our immigrant generation took an impoverished industrial area, and steadily began building, putting businesses, right here. [Their] fruitful work is proudly being recognized today,” said Lee during the unveiling.
Oh wow. Let’s go down to the Korean neighborhood so we can see those street signs!! Get serious.
It’s for the Korean people who do go to that part of town. How do you function in daily life with so little reading comprehension. You are truly uneducated.