Celebrating the 120th anniversary of the first Korean immigrants’ arrival in the U.S., city officials plan to unveil Korean-language street signs in Northwest Dallas, Texas.
The new signs on Harry Hines Boulevard, Royal Lane and Newkirk Street will exhibit street names in both English and Korean.
The installation recognizes the decades-long contributions of the Korean American community to the city.
The unveiling ceremony will take place at the intersection of Royal Lane and Harry Hines Boulevard on Jan. 13, the same day as Korean American Day, which celebrates the arrival of the first Korean immigrants to the U.S.
Although the area has been dubbed “Koreatown” by many, there is no official designation.
John Lee, a board member of the Greater Dallas Korean American Chamber of Commerce, has been calling on the city to designate the district as an official Koreatown.
Lee wants street toppers that read “Koreatown” for a 1.6-mile stretch of Royal Lane.
“It creates a sense of community and a sense of self-control,” Lee told NBC News last year. “When you don’t have that, you don’t own it as much as you want to. By doing that, we have the opportunity for our community to own an area that we can call ours. We can create that sense of belonging and sense of community, and sense of support for each other.”
Lee said that the new road signs are the city’s first step toward an official designation.
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