The store is located in the heart of Koreatown, also known as K-Town or Korea Way.

Past

However, when Koryo Books opened, Koreatown did not exist. In fact, the store was among the first Korean stores to open. Although not many Koreans lived in the area at the time, the opening of Koryo helped initiate the development of the Korean community.

As a result of the Immigration Act of 1965, the Korean population started to rise in New York. The central location of the community in Midtown made the area a nice, easy location for immigrants to settle. As more and more immigrants arrived, an enclave began to develop, and West 32nd Street slowly transformed into Korea Way throughout the 1980s. According to amNewYork, it wasn’t until the 1990s that the area became an attraction for visitors; and until the 2010s when Korean and ethnic foods became increasingly popular, Koreatown was unknown to many non-Asians.

The official marking of Koreatown came in 2008 when the ‘Korea Way’ sign was installed. The intention of the sign was to “increase the pride of Korean immigrants and Korean tourists … and further tell the story of Koreatown,” according to KoreaDaily.

Present

Almost all of the stores, along Korea Way are (you guessed it!) Korean. There’s everything from a supermarket to a hotel to a karaoke bar. Koryo is the only bookstore in the area. If you walk down the street, you’ll notice that there are many restaurants. In fact, fifteen of the restaurants operate 24/7.

This community is special to many Koreans because it reminds them of life in Korea. This is due not only to the culture, but the structure of the buildings, as well. The street doesn’t just run horizontally, but vertically, as well. If you’re in Koreatown and you look up, you’ll find that some of the businesses are located above others, which is similar to the way streets in Seoul, the capital of South Korea, run.