Rooftop Koreans

Contributors to Wikimedia projects · Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. ·

8 min read Original article ↗

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Faction during the 1992 Los Angeles riots

"Rooftop Koreans" or "Roof Koreans" refers to Korean American business owners and residing in Koreatown during the 1992 Los Angeles riots who armed themselves with firearms, and took to the rooftops of local businesses to defend them. After the murder of George Floyd in May 2020, and subsequent riots and protests, the imagery of armed shopkeepers became emblematic of Korean Americans' struggle during the riots, embraced by gun rights advocates, and critics of the Black Lives Matter movement as an example of the necessity of self-defense in the absence of state protection.[1]

In the years following the riots, the "Roof Koreans" narrative has evolved into a cultural and political symbol. While initially a reference to the resilience of Korean-American shop owners, it has been widely adopted in pro-gun circles and Second Amendment advocacy, with some viewing it as a justification for private gun ownership in times of civil unrest.[1]

The unrest in Los Angeles was sparked by the acquittal of four Los Angeles Police Department officers in the beating of Rodney King and resulted in rioting and looting, along with widespread violence and arson throughout the city.[2][3] Controversially, local police instead set up a defensive perimeter around the upper-class Beverly Hills and West Hollywood cities, cutting off Koreatown and abandoning other minority and low-income communities, leaving the Koreatown community to mostly fend for themselves.[4][5][6]

Tensions between Korean and African Americans

[edit]

Tensions had existed between the Korean and African American communities in Los Angeles. According to some Koreans, there was a feeling among the Black community that Koreans were taking from the community, via the operation of small businesses in the area, which led to racial resentment.[7]

Previous violent incidents which contributed to the tensions include the killing of Latasha Harlins in 1991, in which an African American teenager was fatally shot by a Korean American convenience store owner, Soon Ja Du.[8] Du was tried, convicted, and given ten years in prison. However, the sentence was suspended, and she was instead placed on five years' probation with 400 hours of community service and payment of $500 restitution, as well as Harlins' funeral costs.[8][9] The sentencing was widely regarded as extremely light, with a failed appeal reportedly contributing to the 1992 Los Angeles riots.[10]

The intersection of 5th Street and Western Avenue served as a flashpoint, where the California Market (also called Gaju or Kaju) Korean grocery store was a major point of conflict. Other locations that were defended by citizens with firearms, included 8th and Oxford, as well as Western and Third Street.[6] The Los Angeles Times stated there were multiple people on the roof of the grocery with "shotguns and automatic weapons".[3][8] Ebony magazine noted the use of "rifles and handguns."[11]

Because South Korea had at the time a thirty-month mandatory military service for males, it was noted that many Korean immigrants had experience with handling firearms.[12] Additionally, due to men around their 30s to 60s not being so keen on getting a US citizenship, with the exception being a few younger men in their 20s which were still a minority even men in their 20s, many of them were still legally reservists of whatever branch of the Armed Forces, in this case a large Marine Corps and Army reservist presence.[13]

The actions of the "rooftop Koreans" sparked debates about gun control and vigilantism, while simultaneously spurring praise for the residents' bravery and resourcefulness.[14] Edward Jae Song Lee, a Korean American, was shot and killed mistakenly by his peers.[15]

Police were on "tactical alert", thus not responding to any calls from citizens. Order was not restored until President Bush invoked the Insurrection Act (declaring it an insurrection) deploying 15,000 troops. Order was restored almost immediately.[16]

Use of radio stations

[edit]

Radio Korea shut off all regular programming and instead aired numerous calls from business owners requesting help. While the station did not formally organize armed groups, its broadcasts facilitated informal coordination among community members. After the riots concluded on 4 May 1992, Radio Korea entered a two-month “recovery period.” At Radio Korea’s headquarters, accountants assisted people with their insurance claims, and the station also helped set up a food bank at a local church.[17]

In the 21st century, it has been the subject of social media memes,[18] contributing to tensions Between East Asian and African American communities especially in the 2014 Ferguson unrest,[19] the emergence of Black Lives Matter, the murder of George Floyd and the increased racial tensions around Stop Asian Hate.[12][14]

During the June 2025 Los Angeles protests, Donald Trump Jr., son of United States president Donald Trump, tweeted a photo captioned "Make Rooftop Koreans Great Again!" in reference to rioting and looting that occurred during the event. The Korean American Federation of Los Angeles repudiated Trump Jr's tweet, describing it as "mocking the current unrest" and urging that "the past trauma of the Korean people be never, ever exploited for any purpose." Hyungwon Kang, who shot the photograph while reporting on the 1992 riots, stated that Trump Jr. was "using the photo out of context," later consulting a lawyer when Trump Jr. proved unresponsive to requests to take down the post.[20]

  1. 1 2 Wong, Brittany (March 14, 2024). "The Real, Tragic Story Behind That 'Roof Korean' Meme You May Have Seen". Yahoo News. Retrieved March 10, 2025.
  2. ↑ Wong, Brittany (June 12, 2020). "The Real, Tragic Story Behind That 'Roof Korean' Meme You May Have Seen". HuffPost. Retrieved May 10, 2023.
  3. 1 2 Dunn, Ashley (May 2, 1992). "KING CASE AFTERMATH: A CITY IN CRISIS : Looters, Merchants Put Koreatown Under the Gun : Violence: Lacking confidence in the police, employees and others armed themselves to protect mini-mall". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 10, 2023.
  4. ↑ Reft, Ryan (June 2, 2020). "Policing a Global City: Multiculturalism, Immigration and the 1992 Uprising". KCET. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
  5. ↑ Lah, Kyung (April 28, 2017). "The LA riots were a rude awakening for Korean-Americans". CNN. Retrieved March 10, 2025.
  6. 1 2 Tangherliini, Timothy R. (1999). "Remapping Koreatown: Folklore, Narrative and the Los Angeles Riots". Western Folklore. 58 (2): 149–173. doi:10.2307/1500164. ISSN 0043-373X. JSTOR 1500164.
  7. ↑ "Communities work to build understanding 25 years after LA riots". NBC News. April 25, 2017. Retrieved August 21, 2024.
  8. 1 2 3 Park, Jeong; Campa, Andrew J. (April 29, 2022). "Thirty years after it burned, Koreatown has transformed. But scars remain". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 10, 2023.
  9. ↑ Zia, Helen (May 15, 2001). Asian American Dreams: The Emergence of an American People. Macmillan. ISBN 978-0-374-52736-5.
  10. ↑ Howitt, Arnold M.; Leonard, Herman B. (February 11, 2009). Managing Crises: Responses to Large-Scale Emergencies. CQ Press. ISBN 978-1-5443-1702-1.
  11. ↑ Monroe, Sylvester (May 2012). "South Central: 20 Years Since..." Ebony. 67 (7): 132–140.
  12. 1 2 Johnson, Gareth (December 23, 2020). "Who were the Roof Koreans/Rooftop Koreans? The Crazy meme from 1992". Young Pioneer Tours. Retrieved May 10, 2023.
  13. ↑ "[크랩] "미국도 놀랐다"…LA 지켜낸 예비군 삼촌들". KBS 뉴스 (in Korean). Retrieved November 1, 2026.
  14. 1 2 DeCook, Julia R.; Mi Hyun Yoon (January 2021). "Kung Flu and Roof Koreans: Asian/Americans as the Hated Other and Proxies of Hating in the White Imaginary". Journal of Hate Studies. 17 (1): 119–132. doi:10.33972/jhs.199. S2CID 240916281.
  15. ↑ "'Let It Fall': Jung Hui Lee, whose son was killed during the LA uprising, in her own words". ABC News. Retrieved August 20, 2026.
  16. ↑ "The Insurrection Act Explained | Brennan Center for Justice". September 20, 2022.
  17. ↑ Loc, Tim (April 28, 2017). "How A Radio Station Became Koreatown's Lifeline During The '92 Unrest". LAist. Retrieved January 23, 2026.
  18. ↑ "Trump's Eldest Son Also Mentions "Rooftop Koreans"... LA Korean Americans Become a Meme Among US Conservatives". The Asia Business Daily. June 14, 2025. Retrieved August 21, 2026.
  19. ↑ Ishak, Natasha (November 6, 2020). "When The Police Abandoned Them, These Korean Business Owners Took Up Arms During The LA Riots". All That's Interesting. Retrieved May 11, 2023.
  20. ↑ Kim, Jack (June 10, 2025). "Korean Americans criticise Donald Trump Jr. for 'reckless' social media post". Reuters. Thomson Reuters. Retrieved June 11, 2025.