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Western & 8th intersection designated “Sung Kyun Chang Square”

January 14, 2014

Los Angeles honors another Korean American

City Councilman Mitch O’Farrell, left, and Council President Herb Wesson, 7th from right, attended the commemoration ceremony to congratulate Mr. Chang Sung Kyun. (Park Sang-hyuk)

By Kim Chul-soo

The intersection located at Western Avenue and Eighth Street in Los Angeles has been officially designated as “Sung Kyun Chang Square.” A permanent ceremonial sign went up on Monday.

The 74-year old Korean businessman is the fifth Korean to have a Los Angeles area designated in his honor, after Do San Ahn Chang Ho Exchange (Vermont Avenue and Jefferson Boulevard), Dr. Sammy Lee Square (Olympic and Normandie Boulevard), Dr. Gene H. Kim Square (Olympic and Vermont), and Dr. Kee Whan Ha Square (Wilshire and Vermont), in order.

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, Council President Herb Wesson, 13th District Councilman Mitch O’Farrell, Korean Consul Shin Yun-sung, and about 200 others attended the commemoration ceremony on January 13th.

The motion, unanimously approved back in October by L.A. city council, read as follows: Mr. Chang was born on June 28,1939 in Hwang Ju, Hwang Hae Do, North Korea, and graduated from Sung Kyun Kwan University in South Korea where he earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Business.

He is a prominent entrepreneur who is active in the Los Angeles Asian-American community, with over 50 years’ experience in sportswear wholesaling and retailing. Owner of Sun Fashion, where he has managed other wholesale and retail facilities, Mr. Chang is also a wholesale and retail real estate project developer in Southern California and Korea.

Mr. Chang currently resides in Mar Vista, California, where he lives with his wife Sun Kuk Chang and has three sons, Brian, Michael and David and seven grandchildren, William, Brandon, Andrew, Derek, Chris, Aaron and Nicole.

In recognition of Mr. Chang’s remarkable service to the people of Los Angeles and to the community at large, it is appropriate that the City honor him by naming the intersection at Western Avenue and 8th Street as “Sung Kyun Chang Square.”