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Koreatown to install memorial for late Asian American politician

September 10, 2014
Wilshire-Western Metro station in Koreatown, where the memorial will stand.

Wilshire-Western Metro station in Koreatown, where the memorial will stand.

A memorial to honor the late Alfred H. Song, the first Asian American elected to California’s state legislature, will be revealed in the heart of Koreatown at the Wilshire-Western Metro station on Oct. 3.

The committee for the installation of the memorial, headed by the politician’s oldest daughter, Leslie Song, said the unveiling ceremony would take place after the remodeling of the station’s new entrance is completed in mid-September.

The memorial will stand across from an elevator in the southwest wing of the station and measure 6 feet across and 10.7 feet tall.

The project was started in 2012 by Los Angeles County Supervisor and Metro board member Mark Ridley-Thomas. It was approved January of last year but was pushed back due to construction at the station and the creation of the memorial.

Alfred Song (Korean name Song Ho-yeon) started his political career as a Monterey Park city councilman in 1960 before being elected to the state assembly in 1961 and, in 1966, to the state senate.