Chinatown and Greektown have had the benefit of signs along major roadways directing tourists their way for a very long time.
After years of lobbying, Koreatown now has a shot at attracting a greater portion of the 170,000 vehicles estimated to use Interstate Highway 90 in Chicago each day.
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Gov. Rod Blagojevich unveiled a pair of brown tourism signs last week along the Kennedy Expressway, on each side of the Lawrence Avenue exit, directing motorists toward “Korea Town,” a smattering of restaurants, shops and import-export businesses.
The borders of Koreatown are in constant flux, with the ebb and flow of neighboring Serbian, Middle Eastern and Latin American communities. But with a quick jaunt down Lawrence, between the Chicago River and Pulaski Road, you’ll find the Korea Restaurant, a joint that serves fiery kimchi 24 hours a day, and a handful of other Korean hot spots.
Pictures of Asian professional athletes, from Hideo Nomo to Hee Seop Choi, eating in the Chicago Kalbi Restaurant now hang on the walls there.
A left turn at Lincoln brings you to the Korean Buffet, which offers a huge spread of Korean chow.
At any of these places, locals recommend the galbi (ribs marinated overnight and grilled); bulgogi (Korean-style barbecue) or bibimbap (boiled rice with fresh vegetables).
Korean business interests began lobbying Blagojevich for signs years ago, when he was a state representative.
Those efforts finally paid off last week, said Scott Bae, the governor’s director of Asian affairs.