Korean Expats Hold Summit Party in Mid Wilshire to Watch Trump Meet Kim

A group of expatriate Korean Americans held a summit watching party Monday night, as President Donald Trump met DPRK leader Kim Jong Eun in Singapore. Due to the time shift, much of the activity was late at night

The two Koreas have been separated since Josef Stalin insisted on a Communist government for the North in 1948. They have developed very different economies and governments. South Korea is affluent, while North Korea is among the worlds poorest economies and most authoritarian governments.

Among Americans, opinions vary on the importance of the summit, with Trump supporters tending to say it is a striking and important development. Democrats and Liberals say it changed nothing and by meeting with Kim, Trump gave credibility to a brutal dictator. But among Koreans at the event who have lived with the conflict all their lives, there was no doubt that the event was significant.

"The Korean American Coalition (KAC), 615 US West Coast Committee, Action One Korea, Pan-Korean Alliance for Reunification in USA, Peace21, US Support Committee for Korean Prisoners of Conscience, Korean Peace Alliance, NANUM Corean Cultural Center, International Action Center, Korean American National Coordinating Council, and the Answer Coalition LA hosted a US-NK Summit watch party on Monday, June 11, 6:00 pm at Pipers restaurant on Western in LA

"Collectively, we've invited Angelenos of all backgrounds to join us in witnessing this historic moment to which we anticipate peaceful solutions towards a denuclearized Korean Peninsula, normalization of diplomatic ties between both nations, and a path towards a peace treaty between the U.S. and North Korea (Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea)."

Joon Y Bang (in the dark suit) is the executive Director of the "Korean American Coalition." The backside of his card reads educate, embrace, empower. He organized the party at Pipers