More than 100 Los Angeles commercial property pros caught up on the market's latest deals while celebrating community at an event last week hosted by the local chapter of the Korean Real Estate Professionals Association.
"There are not that many Koreans in commercial real estate so it is very important for us to band together when we can and to support one another, professionally and personally,” said attendee Zena Ho, a real estate attorney at McDermott Will & Emery.
The event was held at Star Night in Koreatown. It is one of two to three events held each year by the association known as KREPA, according to Ho, a member of its event committee.
“We all have similar backgrounds and struggle with things unique to our second-generation Korean American story," Ho said. "When I attend these events, I am reminded of the power of community and feel a sense of fondness, or jeong, for my fellow Korean brothers and sisters.”
The hosts of the most recent event included John Chun, a senior managing director at JLL; Minjoo Kim, vice president at Oak Tree Capital Management; Paul Kim of Panda Restaurant Group; Dan Park, head of asset management at Greenlaw Partners; and Hoony Shin, vice president of originations at Mesa West Capital.
According to its mission statement, the Korean Real Estate Professional Association seeks to foster the advancement of Korean professionals in the commercial real estate industry by providing a common platform for networking and the sharing of market knowledge.