Hi Duk Lee, Koreatown leader, dies at 79

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.

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.

Lee opened markets, shops and restaurants in the area that became known as the heart of "Second Seoul."