More Koreans converge around 'Little Korean Town'
More Koreans converge around 'Little Korean Town'
Lured from Korea by the potential of the timber industry, Kim
Woo Jae arrived in Indonesia in 1977. He settled in a house in
the heart of Senayan in the Senopati District in South Jakarta,
little knowing the pivotal role he would play in the
establishment of what has come to be known as "Little Korea".
Three years passed before Kim finally realized that his
efforts to export logs would never bear fruit due to difficulties
with suppliers in Kalimantan.
"I needed to survive, and since there was no Korean food
supplier in Jakarta, I saw an opportunity to supply the Korean
community with food from the homeland," he said.
Kim and his wife started a home-based business making homemade
Kimchi (Korean pickled cabbage) and fermented bean sauce. By
1982, their they had to move their business across the street
into a real shop.
Korean expatriates from all over Jakarta began converging on
the shop regularly, and by 1986, Kim had moved into a supermarket
building down the road.
The Mu Gung Hwa Supermarket, named for Korea's hardy national
flower, a kind of hibiscus, is adjacent to the Jusenny Hotel on
Jl. Senayan.
Suddenly, it was as if Kim had planted a fertile seed, with
other small businesses catering to the Korean community springing
up around it, and more and more expatriate Koreans moving into
the Senopati area.
Entering the area from Jl. Suryo or Jl. Piere Tendean, one is
immediately welcomed by the sight of hawkers and traditional
vendors' stalls in a typical South Jakarta green residential
area.
The Korean feel of the place, however, is immediately
apparent. A sign in both Indonesian and Korean announces that the
hairdresser is open for business.
Other shops bunched together nearby, around the Mu Gung Hwa
Supermarket, assures first time visitors that they are in the
right place when it some to specifically Korean goods and
services. Among these businesses are a couple Korean restaurants
and a day-care center for busy expatriate mothers.
An acupuncture center, with a sign in Korean, stands not far
down the street, and in nearby Jl. Suryo, there is even a Korean
medical center.
Although first-time visitors may find some of the places a
bit difficult to find, most Korean expatriates are familiar with
the area and the businesses that can be found in the surrounding
streets, according to Kim.
"Maybe Koreans chose to settle here due to the easier access
to their Korean grocery needs," he said, explaining one of the
reasons for the area's development.
"I just hope that the Korean and Indonesian communities can
learn from each other's cultures, which will provide a benefit
for both countries," he said, adding that it would also make
business dealings simpler. (005)