Koreatown, Palisades Park

Koreatown, Palisades Park
팰리세이즈 파크 코리아타운
Palisades Park Koreatown
Koreatown

Koreatown's Broad Avenue in March 2008
Coordinates: 40°50′49.26″N 73°59′49.42″W / 40.8470167°N 73.9970611°W / 40.8470167; -73.9970611Coordinates: 40°50′49.26″N 73°59′49.42″W / 40.8470167°N 73.9970611°W / 40.8470167; -73.9970611
Country  United States of America
State  New Jersey
County Bergen
Agglomeration New York City Metropolitan Area
Borough Palisades Park

Koreatown, Palisades Park, also known as the Palisades Park Koreatown (Hangul:팰리세이즈 파크 코리아타운),[1] in the borough of Palisades Park, Bergen County, New Jersey, United States, in the New York City Metropolitan Area, is one of the largest and fastest growing ethnic Korean enclaves outside of Korea. Koreans comprise the majority (65%) of the population of the borough of Palisades Park,[2][3][4][5] the municipality with the highest density of ethnic Koreans in the Western Hemisphere and the home of both the highest Korean-American density and percentage of any municipality in the United States.

Location

The core of this Bergen County Koreatown[6][7] itself extends along Bergen Boulevard to the east, Grand Avenue to the west, and U.S. Route 46 to the south, and has extended northward to Fort Lee Road in the borough of Leonia. However, the periphery of Koreatown continues to expand rapidly in all directions. Broad Avenue represents the heart of Koreatown. Notably, this entire entity is mutually exclusive of the other significant Bergen County Koreatown which has formed in the nearby borough of Fort Lee.[7][8]

History

According to The New York Times, until the 1980s, Palisades Park was overwhelmingly Caucasian, a mix of blue-collar workers and professionals whose families originated largely from Italy, Croatia, Germany, and Greece. Its houses were inexpensive, and it had a number of vacant shops and offices.[9] In the 1990s, a continuous stream of Korean immigrants emerged into Palisades Park Koreatown. A substantial number of affluent and educated Korean American professionals have settled in Bergen County since the early 2000s and have founded various academic and communally supportive organizations, including the Korean Parent Partnership Organization at the Bergen County Academies magnet high school and The Korean-American Association of New Jersey. Approximately 120 Korean stores were counted in Koreatown in 2000,[7] a number which has risen significantly since then, featuring restaurants and karaoke (noraebang) bars, grocery markets, education centers and bookstores, financial institutions, offices, electronics vendors, apparel boutiques, and other commercial enterprises.

Comfort women controversy

In May 2012, borough officials in Palisades Park rejected requests by two diplomatic delegations from Japan to remove a small monument from a public park, a brass plaque on a block of stone, dedicated in 2010 to the memory of so-called comfort women, tens of thousands of women and girls, many Korean, who were forced into sexual slavery by Japanese soldiers during World War II.[10][11] Days later, a South Korean delegation endorsed the borough's decision.[12] However, in neighboring Fort Lee, various Korean American groups could not reach consensus on the design and wording for such a monument as of early April 2013.[13][14] In October 2012, a similar memorial was announced in nearby Hackensack, to be raised behind the Bergen County Courthouse, alongside memorials to the Holocaust, the Irish Potato Famine, and the Armenian Genocide,[1] and was unveiled in March 2013.[15][16] An apology and monetary compensation of roughly US$8 million by Japan to South Korea in December 2015 for these transgressions largely fell flat in Koreatown, Palisades Park.[17] An annual cross-country bicycle ride dedicated to the honor of the comfort women ends at the Palisades Park memorial, following a penultimate stop at the Bergen County Courthouse memorial in Hackensack.[18]

Sewol ferry tragedy memorial in the United States

In May 2014, the Palisades Park Public Library created a memorial dedicated to the victims of the tragic sinking of the Sewol ferry off the South Korean coast on April 16, 2014.[19]

Dual-naming Broad Avenue

In mid-2015, a proposal was submitted by the Korean-American Association of Palisades Park to the mayor and council of Palisades Park to add a second name to Broad Avenue, such as "Korean Market Street" (Meokjagolmok) or Korea Way (as in Koreatown, Manhattan). The mayor's response was to request a public vote on implementing this addition.[20]

Korean language interpreters at civic meetings

Korean Americans, who compose more than half of the borough's population and have attended town meetings in large numbers, having requested Korean language interpreters to be present at these meetings as of August 2016.[21]

Demographics

The per capita Korean American population of Bergen County, 6.3% by the 2010 United States Census,[22][23] (increasing to 6.9% by the 2011 American Community Survey),[24] is the highest of any county in the United States,[23] with all of the nation's top ten municipalities by percentage of Korean population[25] and an absolute total of 56,773 Korean Americans (increasing to 63,247 by the 2011 American Community Survey)[24] living in the county.[22][26] The concentration of Korean Americans in Palisades Park in turn is the highest of any municipality in the United States,[9] at 52% of the population,[22] enumerating 10,115 residents of Korean ancestry as of the 2010 Census.[27] Palisades Park is often referred to as the Korean village.[28] Along with Koreatowns in New York City and Long Island, the Bergen County Koreatowns serve as the nexus for an overall Korean American population of 218,764 individuals in the Greater New York Combined Statistical Area,[29] the second largest population of ethnic Koreans outside of Korea.[30]

Bergen County Korean demographics, 2010

The top ten municipalities in the United States as ranked by Korean American percentage of overall population in 2010 are illustrated in the following table:

Rank Municipality County State Percentage
1 Palisades Park (팰리세이즈 파크)[31] Bergen County (버건 군) New Jersey (뉴저지 주) 51.5%
2 Leonia Bergen County New Jersey 26.5%
3 Ridgefield Bergen County New Jersey 25.7%
4 Fort Lee Bergen County New Jersey 23.5%
5 Closter Bergen County New Jersey 21.2%
6 Englewood Cliffs Bergen County New Jersey 20.3%
7 Norwood Bergen County New Jersey 20.1%
8 Edgewater Bergen County New Jersey 19.6%
9 Cresskill Bergen County New Jersey 17.8%
10 Demarest Bergen County New Jersey 17.3%

Climate

Palisades Park Koreatown lies at the northern edge of the humid subtropical climate zone, according to the Köppen climate classification, similarly to Seoul, South Korea;[32] as Bergen County's coldest month (January) averages above 26.6 °F. . In part due to its coastal location and relatively low elevation at approximately 100 feet above sea level,[33] its climate is milder than in New Jersey counties further inland such as Sussex County. Koreatown has a moderately sunny climate, averaging between 2,400 and 2,800 hours of sunshine annually.[34]

Transportation

The nearby George Washington Bridge, the world's busiest motor vehicle bridge,[35][36] provides access to Palisades Park Koreatown from Manhattan in New York City via adjacent Fort Lee, Bergen County (above).

Koreatown is served by an extensive transportation network. Interstate 95, U.S. Route 46, and New Jersey Route 4 all provide access to Broad and Grand Avenues; New Jersey Route 63 and County Route 501 connect Palisades Park Koreatown to Fort Lee Koreatown; while Interstate 80, the New Jersey Turnpike, and U.S. Route 1/9 also serve the vicinity.[28] The nearby George Washington Bridge, the world's busiest motor vehicle bridge,[35][36] in turn provides access to Palisades Park Koreatown from Manhattan in New York City via adjacent Fort Lee, Bergen County. Additionally, New Jersey Transit Bus #127 and New Jersey Transit Bus #166 serve Koreatown with buses to and from New York City.[37][38] Korean Air and Asiana Airlines provide non-stop flights from Seoul to JFK Airport[39][40] in the nearby New York City borough of Queens, which also is home to a large and growing Korean community.

News organizations

The Korea Times, Korea Daily, and the Yonhap News Agency, news organizations based in Seoul, carry a significant presence in Palisades Park Koreatown. The Record of Bergen County, published by North Jersey Media Group, is also ubiquitously available in Koreatown.

Economic clout

The increasing economic clout of Palisades Park Koreatown and Bergen County's educated and growing professional Korean community is reflected in the prominent Korean multinational corporate presence that continues to evolve in the area. Samsung[41] LG Corp,[42] and Hanjin Shipping,[43] three of Korea's largest chaebols, have developed major American headquarters operations in nearby Bergen County locations.

Political clout

The political stature of Koreatown appears to be increasing significantly as well.[1] Bergen County's growing Korean community[44][45][46][47] was cited by county executive Kathleen Donovan in the context of attorney Jae Y. Kim's appointment to the Bergen Central Municipal Court judgeship in Hackensack in January 2011.[46] Subsequently in March 2012, leaders from Bergen County's Korean community announced they would form a grassroots political action committee to gain an organized voice in politics in the wake of the rejection of attorney Phillip Kwon to the New Jersey Supreme Court by a state legislative body,[47] and in July 2012, Kwon was appointed instead as deputy general counsel of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.[48] Jacqueline Choi was then sworn in as Bergen County's first female Korean American assistant prosecutor in September 2012.[26] According to The Record, the U.S. Census Bureau has determined that the county’s Korean American population has grown enough to warrant language assistance during elections,[22] and Bergen County's Koreans have earned significant political respect.[1][49][50]

Jason Kim was serving as deputy mayor of the borough of Palisades Park in May 2012.[51] As of May 2014, Korean Americans had garnered at least four borough council seats in Bergen County.[52] In July 2015, Shawn M. Lee was sworn in as Palisades Park's first Korean-American police sergeant and Gina S. Kim was sworn in as the borough's first municipal clerk, reflecting the growing political influence of the Korean American population in Palisades Park.[53] In November 2015, Palisades Park hired two more Korean-speaking police officers, bringing the total to four.[54] In November 2016, Ellen Park was elected to the borough council in nearby Englewood Cliffs.[55]

Public high school education

Palisades Park High School and the highly ranked Bergen County Academies magnet public high school[56][57] both serve the residents of Palisades Park Koreatown. Connie S. Hwang and Chong H. Kim were elected to three-year terms on the Palisades Park School Board in 2015, the latter an incumbent.[58]

East Sea controversy

According to The Record, the Korean-American Association of New Jersey petitioned Palisades Park school officials in 2013 to use textbooks that refer to the Sea of Japan as the East Sea as well.[59]

Center of Korean culture

Koreatown in Palisades Park has emerged as a dominant nexus of Korean American culture.[6] The Palisades Park Senior Citizens Center provides a popular gathering place where even Korean grandmothers were noted to follow the dance trend of the worldwide viral hit Gangnam Style by South Korean "K-pop" rapper Psy in 2012.[60] Palisades Park High School has hosted national Kumdo martial arts tournaments.[61][62] On a broader note, the Chusok Korean Thanksgiving harvest festival has become an annual tradition in Bergen County, attended by several tens of thousands.[63]

Cuisine

Broad Avenue in Koreatown has been referred to as a "Korean food walk of fame",[8] with diverse offerings.[6] Palisades Park Koreatown now incorporates the highest concentration of Korean restaurants within a one-mile radius in the United States,[64] and Broad Avenue has evolved into a Korean dessert destination as well.[65][66] Korean Chinese cuisine is now also available in Koreatown, as is misugaru.[67]

Languages

Korean and English are both spoken prevalently in Koreatown. Retail signs employing the Hangul alphabet are ubiquitous.

Public institutions

The Palisades Park Public Library as well as the Palisades Park Borough Hall[68] and the Palisades Park Municipal Court[28] are located in the area.

Medical care

Holy Name Medical Center (affiliated with the NewYork-Presbyterian Healthcare System),[69] Englewood Hospital and Medical Center, and Hackensack University Medical Center serve as medical centers providing Palisades Park Koreatown as well as surrounding communities with comprehensive medical care services. Holy Name Medical Center in nearby Teaneck, New Jersey has undertaken an ambitious effort to provide comprehensive health care services to underinsured and uninsured Korean patients from a wide area with its growing Korean Medical Program.[70][71][72]

Social services

A diverse array of social services such as the Korean-American Senior Citizens Association Of New Jersey, Inc.,[73] geared toward assisting recent as well as established Korean immigrants, is readily available in Koreatown.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Rebecca D. O'Brien (2012-10-14). "New Jersey's Korean community awakens politically". © 2012 North Jersey Media Group Inc. All rights reserved. Retrieved 2012-10-19.
  2. ↑ Karen Sudol; Dave Sheingold (2011-10-12). "Korean language ballots coming to Bergen County". © 2012 North Jersey Media Group. Retrieved 2012-05-14.
  3. ↑ Kirk Semple (May 18, 2012). "In New Jersey, Memorial for 'Comfort Women' Deepens Old Animosity". The New York Times. Retrieved 2012-05-19.
  4. ↑ Asian Americans: Contemporary Trends and Issues Second Edition, Edited by Pyong Gap Min. Pine Forge Press - An Imprint of Sage Publications, Inc. 2006. Retrieved 2012-03-29.
  5. ↑ Brian Yarvin (2008-06-13). "New York serious eats". Serious Eats © 2006-2012. Retrieved 2012-03-29.
  6. 1 2 3 Jersey Dispatch: Bergen County Koreatown
  7. 1 2 3 Asian Americans: Contemporary Trends and Issues Second Edition, Edited by Pyong Gap Min. Pine Forge Press - An Imprint of Sage Publications, Inc. 2006. Retrieved 2012-03-29.
  8. 1 2 Karen Tina Harrison (2007-12-19). "Thriving Korean communities make Fort Lee and Palisades Park a boon to epicures.". Retrieved 2011-09-19.
  9. 1 2 RICHARD PÉREZ-PEÑA (2010-12-15). "PALISADES PARK JOURNAL As Koreans Pour In, a Town Is Remade". The New York Times Company. Retrieved 2012-03-29.
  10. ↑ Kirk Semple (May 18, 2012). "In New Jersey, Memorial for 'Comfort Women' Deepens Old Animosity". The New York Times. Retrieved 2012-07-12.
  11. ↑ S.P. Sullivan (June 8, 2013). "Sexual slavery issue, discussed internationally, pivots around one little monument in N.J.". New Jersey On-Line LLC. Retrieved June 9, 2013.
  12. ↑ Monsy Alvarado (July 12, 2012). "Palisades Park monument to 'comfort women' stirs support, anger". North Jersey Media Group. Retrieved 2012-07-12.
  13. ↑ Dan Ivers (April 6, 2013). "Critics cause Fort Lee to reconsider monument honoring Korean WWII prostitutes". New Jersey On-Line LLC. Retrieved April 16, 2013.
  14. ↑ Linh Tat (April 4, 2013). "Controversy puts planned 'comfort women' memorial in Fort Lee on hold". North Jersey Media Group. Retrieved April 16, 2013.
  15. ↑ S.P. Sullivan (March 8, 2013). "Bergen County marks International Women's Day with Korean 'comfort women' memorial". New Jersey On-Line LLC. Retrieved April 6, 2013.
  16. ↑ Monsy Alvarado (March 8, 2013). "Memorial dedicated to women forced into sexual slavery during WWII". North Jersey Media Group. Retrieved April 6, 2013.
  17. ↑ Matthew McGrath (December 28, 2015). "Mixed reaction to Japan apology on 'comfort women'". North Jersey Media Group. Retrieved December 28, 2015.
  18. ↑ Monsy Alvarado (September 2, 2016). "Arriving in Palisades Park, three men complete cross-country trek in honor of 'comfort women'". Gannett Company, Inc. Retrieved September 3, 2016.
  19. ↑ Monsy Alvarado (May 2, 2014). "Palisades Park library creates memorial for South Korean ferry victims". North Jersey Media Group. Retrieved May 3, 2014.
  20. ↑ Monsy Alvarado (August 30, 2015). "Palisades Park asked to add Korean Market Street". North Jersey Media Group. Retrieved August 30, 2015.
  21. ↑ Monsy Alvarado (August 22, 2016). "Palisades Park residents want Korean-language interpreters at town meetings". North Jersey Media Group. Retrieved August 25, 2016.
  22. 1 2 3 4 Karen Sudol; Dave Sheingold (2011-10-12). "Korean language ballots coming to Bergen County". North Jersey Media Group. Retrieved May 12, 2014.
  23. 1 2 Richard Newman (2012-08-30). "Korean company to buy Fort Lee bank". North Jersey Media Group. Retrieved 2012-08-30.
  24. 1 2 "ACS DEMOGRAPHIC AND HOUSING ESTIMATES 2011 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates - Geographies - Bergen County, New Jersey". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 12, 2014.
  25. ↑ James O'Neill (February 22, 2015). "Mahwah library hosts Korean tea ceremony to celebrate new year". North Jersey Media Group. Retrieved February 22, 2015.
  26. 1 2 Monsy Alvarado (2012-09-04). "Bergen County swears in first female Korean-American assistant prosecutor". North Jersey Media Group. Retrieved May 12, 2014.
  27. ↑ "Palisades Park borough, New Jersey QuickLinks". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved July 28, 2015.
  28. 1 2 3 "Palisades Park Municipal Court". SpinJ Corporation. Retrieved August 26, 2014.
  29. ↑ "Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data New York-Newark-Bridgeport, NY-NJ-CT-PA CSA". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2012-06-29.
  30. ↑ Chi-Hoon Kim (2015). "Savoring Gotham: A Food Lover's Companion to New York City: A Food Lover's...". Oxford University Press, Google Books. Retrieved October 11, 2015.
  31. ↑ "Argo Data Management Team - Meeting 12". Retrieved 2011-10-15.
  32. ↑ "Palisades Park, New Jersey". © 2003-2011 Advameg, Inc. Retrieved 2011-11-22.
  33. ↑ "united states annual sunshine map". HowStuffWorks, Inc. Retrieved 2011-10-13.
  34. 1 2 "Port Authority of New York and New Jersey - George Washington Bridge". The Port Authority of New York & New Jersey. Retrieved September 13, 2013.
  35. 1 2 Bod Woodruff; Lana Zak; Stephanie Wash (November 20, 2012). "GW Bridge Painters: Dangerous Job on Top of the World's Busiest Bridge". ABC News. Retrieved September 13, 2013.
  36. ↑ "127 RIDGEFIELD - UNION CITY - NEW YORK" (PDF). © 2011 NJ TRANSIT, All Rights Reserved. Retrieved 2011-09-19.
  37. ↑ "FROM PALISADES PARK, NJ TO NEW YORK PENN STATION ON 9/19/2011". © 2011 NJ TRANSIT, All Rights Reserved. Retrieved 2011-09-19.
  38. ↑ Matt Molnar (August 9, 2011). "New Korean Air Airbus A380 Makes First Flight to America". Copyright © 2012 NYCAviation All Rights Reserved. Retrieved 2012-06-03.
  39. ↑ "Flights from New York to Seoul". ©2011 Expedia, Inc. All rights reserved. Retrieved 2012-06-03.
  40. ↑ "Samsung Electronics America, Inc. Company Profile". Hoover's Inc. Retrieved June 26, 2015.
  41. ↑ Kim Lueddeke (June 25, 2015). "LG deal in Englewood Cliffs may help protect the rest of the Palisades". North Jersey Media Group. Retrieved June 26, 2015.
  42. ↑ Richard Newman (September 20, 2016). "Stranded container ship gets go-ahead to dock in Elizabeth". NorthJersey.com via Gannett. Retrieved September 22, 2016.
  43. ↑ John C. Ensslin (2011-12-20). "North Jersey Korean-Americans relieved but worried about transition". © 2011 North Jersey Media Group. Retrieved 2011-12-20.
  44. ↑ "Korean War vets honored at Cresskill church". © 2011 North Jersey Media Group. 2011-06-26. Retrieved 2011-09-19.
  45. 1 2 "Hackensack attorney appointed to court". © 2011 North Jersey Media Group. 2011-01-15. Retrieved 2011-09-19.
  46. 1 2 Monsy Alvarado (2012-03-30). "North Jersey Korean leaders to form political action committee after Phillip Kwon rejection". © 2012 North Jersey Media Group. Retrieved 2012-03-30.
  47. ↑ SHAWN BOBURG AND JOHN REITMEYER (2012-07-26). "Update: Philip Kwon, rejected N.J. Supreme Court nominee, scores a top Port Authority job". © 2012 North Jersey Media Group. Retrieved 2012-07-29.
  48. ↑ John C. Ensslin (2012-08-20). "After decades of work, Bergen County Koreans have earned political respect". © 2012 North Jersey Media Group Inc. All rights reserved. Retrieved 2012-08-23.
  49. ↑ Monsy Alvarado (2012-10-09). "Korean-Americans to sponsor three debates". © 2012 North Jersey Media Group Inc. All rights reserved. Retrieved 2012-10-19.
  50. ↑ Kirk Semple (May 18, 2012). "In New Jersey, Memorial for 'Comfort Women' Deepens Old Animosity". The New York Times. Retrieved 2012-05-20.
  51. ↑ Monsy Alvarado (May 12, 2014). "South Korean officials, Menendez lead Englewood discussion on improving joint economy". North Jersey Media Group. Retrieved May 12, 2014.
  52. ↑ Monsy Alvarado (July 28, 2015). "Palisades Park installs first Korean police sergeant, borough clerk". North Jersey Media Group. Retrieved July 28, 2015.
  53. ↑ Monsy Alvarado (November 27, 2015). "Palisades Park hires three new cops, including two who speak Korean". North Jersey Media Group. Retrieved November 28, 2015.
  54. ↑ Michael W. Curley, Jr. (November 18, 2016). "Park, Woo to join Englewood Cliffs council after final vote tally". NorthJersey.com, part of the USA TODAY network. Retrieved November 19, 2016.
  55. ↑ "America's Top High Schools 2015". Newsweek. Retrieved November 18, 2015.
  56. ↑ "Welcome to the Bergen County Academies". Bergen County Technical Schools. Retrieved November 18, 2015.
  57. ↑ Todd South; Minjae Park; John Seasly; Linh Tat (April 21, 2015). "North Jersey school elections results: 9 of 10 districts OK proposals". North Jersey Media Group. Retrieved April 22, 2015.
  58. ↑ Linh Tat (May 16, 2013). "Korean group petitions schools over textbook". North Jersey Media Group. Retrieved May 16, 2013.
  59. ↑ Sachi Fujimori; Elyse Toribio (2012-09-22). "'Gangnam Style' dance craze catches fire in North Jersey". © 2012 North Jersey Media Group Inc. All rights reserved. Retrieved 2012-09-22.
  60. ↑ Minjae Park (November 17, 2013). "Kendo championship a draw for New Jersey competitors, other states". North Jersey Media Group. Retrieved November 17, 2013.
  61. ↑ Monsy Alvarado (November 16, 2013). "Kumdo tournament to draw more than 220 at Palisades Park". North Jersey Media Group. Retrieved November 16, 2013.
  62. ↑ Mary Diduch (September 14, 2013). "Koreans in North Jersey give thanks at harvest festival". North Jersey Media Group. Retrieved September 15, 2013.
  63. ↑ "Palisades Park, NJ: K-Town West of Hudson". WordPress.com. Retrieved 2011-09-24.
  64. ↑ Elisa Ung (February 9, 2014). "Ung: Destination spot for desserts". North Jersey Media Group. Retrieved February 9, 2014.
  65. ↑ Elisa Ung (June 12, 2014). "Five Korean dishes to try this summer". North Jersey Media Group. Retrieved June 12, 2014.
  66. ↑ Joan Verdon (June 5, 2014). "Korean coffee chain expanding in North Jersey". North Jersey Media Group. Retrieved June 6, 2014.
  67. ↑ "Palisades Park, New Jersey Community Information". © 2011. New Jersey Multiple Listing Service, Inc. - All Rights Reserved. Retrieved 2011-09-19.
  68. ↑ "NewYork-Presbyterian Healthcare System". NewYork-Presbyterian Healthcare System. Retrieved 2012-10-21.
  69. ↑ Karen Rouse (September 29, 2013). "North Jersey Korean health fair data help track risks". North Jersey MediaGroup. Retrieved September 29, 2013.
  70. ↑ Barbara Williams (2012-10-20). "Annual Korean health fair draws crowds at Holy Name Medical Center in Teaneck". © 2012 North Jersey Media Group Inc. All rights reserved. Retrieved 2012-10-21.
  71. ↑ Barbara Williams (2012-11-24). "Holy Name will screen 2,000 for Hepatitis B". © 2012 North Jersey Media Group Inc. All rights reserved. Retrieved 2012-11-24.
  72. ↑ "About Korean-American Senior Citizens Association Of New Jersey, Inc". Copyright © Manta Media Inc. All rights reserved. Retrieved 2011-09-19.
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