Est. 1992, the Rooftop Koreans made history as a hastily formed group of Korean-Americans who defended their businesses and livelihoods during the L.A. riots. Their numbers largely consisted of
volunteers: mostly shop owners and whoever accepted the call to arms- friends, family, and community members alike. The LAPD had largely abandoned the Korean-American community in their greatest time of need (go ahead, look it up), leaving small business owners in Koreatown to essentially fend for themselves against
opportunistic looters and thieves. Their spirit has left a profound mark on American small business owners to this day,
representing a rallying cry of eternal vigilance against rabid mobs of looters and in more modern days, herds of alleged "anti-fascists" and "peaceful
protestors".
Some of the most memorable imagery and live footage of the '92 riots captures the moments when Korean-Americans armed themselves with whatever firearms they could get their hands on and provided overwatch from the rooftops of their privately owned shops and markets (hence the name Rooftop Koreans).
It is worth noting every
Korean male is required to provide 2 years of mandatory service in the Republic of Korea Armed Forces.
Give a Korean immigrant a life in the
United States, and he'll be the proudest American of them all. But should you choose to burn his home and torch his livelihood, you'll have to deal with the feared Rooftop Koreans: an unstoppable community and force of nature, hailing from the eagle-screeching
patriotism of the
founding fathers of the U.S. of-fucking-A and the South Korean mainland.
