KOREATOWN, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Hi Duk Lee, who is credited with building Los Angeles' Koreatown, died at age 79 earlier this month.
Lee died in his Silver Lake home on March 7 after a six-month battle with colon cancer.
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Lee arrived in Los Angeles in 1968 after escaping South Korea's military dictatorship.
He set out to create Koreatown, thinking of how there are Chinatowns everywhere. He helped make it a vibrant community.
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Lee opened markets, shops and restaurants in the area that became known as the heart of "Second Seoul."