“Now, I even assemble and sell completed drum skins for traditional instruments.”
In the southern part of Limpau Street, Los Angeles, Billy Yoon (67) may not be fluent in Korean, but he is an expert in the gayageum and janggu, traditional Korean musical instruments. His home is filled with rare instruments and artifacts, many of which crossed the Pacific Ocean 50 to 60 years ago. Among them are brass handicrafts made from shell casings left behind after the Korean War, serving as unique historical remnants.
Yoon has been running Koreana Gifts, a store that first opened in 1962, since inheriting it in 2008. Until two years ago, the store was located at Olympic and Fedora Street, but he has since transitioned to online sales, storing his collection in private warehouses and his home.
“I never thought much about it before, but as I started restringing the gayageum and understanding the significance and purpose of these artifacts, I felt my Korean identity reawaken. Now, I even receive inquiries from buyers all over the world, including Europe.”
Yoon’s grandparents immigrated to the United States before Korea was colonized by Japan, a time when the term Korean American had yet to be coined. They originally settled in Riverside, but when Asians were denied the right to purchase property, they moved to Los Angeles, where his family has remained ever since.
His parents worked as a truck driver and a hairdresser, with his mother, who was fluent in Korean, managing Koreana Gifts and selling traditional Korean musical instruments and crafts. In the 1960s and 1970s, Koreana Gifts was the only Korean gift shop in LA, predating the emergence of small Korean restaurants on Olympic and Pico Boulevard.
“Many U.S. Marines stationed in Korea in the 1960s and 1970s brought back brass crafts as souvenirs. They would visit our shop, reminiscing about their time in Korea. Many of these items—ashtrays, cigarette holders, and various handicrafts—were made from spent shell casings left on the battlefields.”
The most expensive single item Yoon has ever sold was worth $15,000, a testament to the shop’s dedicated clientele and word-of-mouth reputation.
Yoon earned a teaching credential from Cal State LA and worked as an art teacher for 20 years. His exposure to colors and aesthetics in the art world laid the foundation for his keen eye for Korean traditional instruments and handicrafts.
The original Koreana Gifts sign, made of mother-of-pearl, still hangs in his home. Although the business has shifted to online sales since the pandemic, the nostalgia and heritage of Korean craftsmanship remain as vibrant as ever.
Since he is not proficient in Korean, Yoon frequently seeks out Korean community members to help him interpret the inscriptions on old artifacts.
“I never fully learned my mother’s Korean, but thanks to social networks with first-generation Koreans, I was recently able to decipher the characters on an old folding screen. I’m incredibly grateful for that.”
The collection of traditional instruments and crafts that Yoon has preserved for over 60 years reflects the deep history of LA’s Koreatown. Now, more than ever, his mission is about more than just business—it’s about preserving and sharing a rich cultural legacy.
“At this point, it’s no longer about money. It’s a mission, and that’s what keeps me going.”
BY BRIAN CHOI [ichoi@koreadaily.com]
