In early 1905, a Korean immigrant named Ahn Chang Ho who had been exiled from his home country by the occupying Japanese military, founded what is believed to be the very first Koreatown in the U.S. if not the world. 

Sometimes known as Pachappa Camp or Dosan’s Republic (in reference to Chang Ho’s pen name, which he used in his work as an activist for Korean independence), this Koreatown was located in Riverside, California. Drawn to the area for jobs in California’s booming citrus industry, over 300 Korean Americans are believed to have lived there, just around Pachappa Avenue. There was no electricity or running water, but there was a community centre where Korean Americans could gather together. 

By 1920, a decline in the citrus industry meant most of the community had relocated south to Los Angeles. In the 1950s, the area was bulldozed and redeveloped. In 2001, the city erected a statue of Chang Ho to commemorate the site of the very first Koreatown. 

Though short-lived, the Riverside Koreatown was the first among many Koreatowns that can trace the migration patterns of people from Korea, documenting the evolution of this diaspora—and cementing its rich cultural contribution to so many global cities. In many ways, the history of this particular community nods to so many of the common themes that weave into the histories of all the Koreatowns that have come after it: Migration to escape oppression, and a community coming together to carve out a space for themselves in a wider culture. 

No matter where in the world they are, these communities are worthy of celebration and visiting, be it for the history, the delicious food or the welcoming people. Get out your atlas, because here are the world’s best Koreatowns to have on your map.

London

Otherwise known as New Malden, this London suburb often called “Little Korea” is home to about 10,000 people with Korean heritage—the largest Korean diaspora community in Europe. Along with Korean churches, schools, a seniors’ centre, restaurants and grocery stores (including an outpost of H Mart, the famous American Korean chain), London’s Koreatown is home to a weekly Korean language newspaper, the Euro Journal, was formerly the site of the South Korean embassy and also where South Korean giant Samsung chose to headquarter their European operations. It’s also home to about 700 people who defected from North Korea, making it the largest North Korean community outside the Korean peninsula. 

Tokyo

During the Second World War, the Japanese government brought around 750,000 Koreans—men and women conscripted against their will—to work in mines and factories, filling the labour shortages left in the country because of the war effort. Many of those workers lived in a slum called Okubo, which gradually became known for its Korean restaurants and grocery stores. Fast-forward to the present day, and Okubo is the thriving hub of Korean culture in Japan. The streets are filled with K-Beauty stores, spots to get the hottest K-Pop merch and, of course, all the food you could want, from street vendors selling Korean corn dogs to spots like Café Neul and 2D Café bringing Korea’s café culture to the city.

Los Angeles

Home to the highest concentration of Korean people outside the Korean peninsula, L.A.’s “K-Town” occupies roughly three square miles of real estate west of downtown and south of Hollywood. Coincidentally, the area that now has one of America’s highest number of 24-hour restaurants and businesses was once a nightlife hotspot for stars of 1920s and 1930s cinema, home to legendary spots like the Cocoanut Grove and the Brown Derby restaurant, the latter of which claims to have invented the Cobb Salad.  

While the first Korean person arrived in the city in 1904, the neighbourhood we know now as Koreatown only emerged in the 1960s, when the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 abolished nation-based quotas and reformed a system that had heavily discriminated against people from Asian countries. Leaving their homeland as a result of high unemployment and political instability, Koreans were actually the largest group of people to immigrate to the U.S. between 1976 and 1990. These days, K-Town is still the epicentre of Korean culture in the U.S. and a destination for Angeleno foodies, beloved for its Korean barbecue restaurants, most notably the popular Parks BBQ. Another superlative for the area: It has more large malls than any similar-sized area in America, boasting something for every shopper, from skincare to food courts, and a movie theatre dedicated to K-cinema. 

Toronto

While Canadian missionaries visited Korea back in the 19th century, the vast majority of Korean immigrants—almost all of whom are from South Korea—began arriving here in the aftermath of the Second World War. You’ll find Canada’s largest Koreatown in Toronto, specifically in the area around Bloor West between Christie and Bathurst Streets. It’s a small but perfectly formed concentration of many of the most beloved Korean exports: Experience the latest in K-Beauty innovation at one of the Korean-style spas, like Skin30; fuel up with some treats like fish-shaped Korean waffles at Kevin’s Taiyaki or the walnut cakes at bakery Hodo Kwaja; grab Korean specialty ingredients at the Bloor Fruit Market, and then end the night with a solo at one of the karaoke bars, a staple of a Korean night out.