"Sa-i-Gu." The events of April 29 placed the Korean American community squarely at the center of national debates over race, class, culture, and community. The Los Angeles riots of 1992 were sparked on April 29, 1992 after a jury acquitted Los Angeles Police Department officers accused in the beating of Rodney King, and African American. The day the riots erupted is known in the Korean American community as "sa-i-gu" which translates to April 29, derived from a Korean tradition where major events are known by their date.

Even today, the Korean American community continues to recover from the burning of Los Angeles in the aftermath of the 1992 Rodney King verdict. Many Korean American markets and businesses were located in those areas of Los Angeles’ inner city - South Central and Koreatown - where much of the destruction occurred. As a result, Koreans suffered a disproportionate share of the total property damage. Some 2,000 Korean-owned businesses were completely destroyed in the riots and an estimated $400 million dollars of damage was done. Frustration continues as many of the Korean businesses lost did not reopen. The Korean businesses that are open continue to be vulnerable to high rates of crime, violence, and interethnic tension.

For most of the riots, there was little police and fire protection available. Many Koreans were left to defend their property on their own as 911 calls went unanswered. It is well documented that the police did little to protect the businesses that were being looted and instead focused on securing predominantly white upper middle class neighborhoods nearby. The absence of police protection is a reminder that Korean Americans are not yet considered a part of mainstream society in moments of crisis.

There was also resentment about the slanted portrayal of Korean American store owners as gun-toting vigilantes by the news media. In addition, television news stations focused on running stories on Soon Ja Du, the Korean American shop keeper who shot and killed fifteen year-old African American Latasha Harlins in the previous year going as far as broadcasting the actual shooting during the riots. Save for an appearance by attorney Angela Oh on ABC’s Nightline, no Korean American was shown discussing the events or included in roundtables on racism or economic injustice.

The legacy of the riots still lingers. Despite the blinding media focus brought to bear during the riots, the Korean American community has nonetheless remained largely silent and effectively invisible. Shopkeepers who were victimized were conveniently ignored by the political system and demands for accountability from mainstream institutions went unheeded. Many promises were made by politicians to invest in South Central LA. These have never come to pass.

The Los Angeles riots of 1992, also known as the Rodney King riots, [and to the Korean American community as "Sa-i-Gu"] were sparked on April 29, 1992 by the jury acquittal of four police officers accused in the videotaped beating of black motorist Rodney King. The beating occured after the Police and King engaged in a high-speed chase through part of Los Angeles. Thousands of people in the Los Angeles area rioted over the six days following the verdict. Widespread looting, assault, arson, and murder occurred, and property damages totaled one billion dollars. It is believed that many of the crimes were gang-motivated or perpetrated. In all, 53 people died during the riots.[1]