Air Force Veteran Beaten, Called ‘Chinese Virus’ in Unprovoked Attack in LA’s Koreatown

Denny Kim, 27, sustained a black eye and fractured nose after he was knocked to the ground in an unprovoked attack on Kenmore Avenue last week, according to NBC Los Angeles.

Kim says he was called a “ching chong,” “Chinese virus,” among other things. Police are now investigating this incident as a hate crime with criminal threats.

Kim’s friend Joseph Cha, who is also a community activist, was there to defend him from the assailants.

“I was screaming, telling them to stop. Screaming, they were calling me racial slurs too,” Cha told NBC LA.

The descriptions of the men were unclear, but LAPD is searching the area for any surveillance footage.

This is not the first time Kim has encountered racism while growing up in LA.

“Throughout my career, I experienced a lot of micro-aggressions because of my race. I never felt like I fit in. I never felt like I belonged,” Kim recalled.

Connie Chung Joe, CEO of Asian Americans Advancing Justice Los Angeles, expressed her support.

“I’m so glad to hear that he took the brave step of reporting it and talking about it because so many other Asian Americans are not doing that because they are scared,” she said.

Feature Image via NBC Los Angeles