The Region - News from July 1, 1987

A Los Angeles businessman who aligned himself with anti-government demonstrators in South Korea was declared the victor in a hotly disputed election to head the largest and most influential Korean community group in Southern California. After three days of arguments and occasional scuffles over the validity of more than 5,000 ballots cast Saturday, Kim Wan Heum was named the new president of the Korean Federation of Los Angeles. Heum won with 2,916 votes, a margin of nearly 500 votes over Chan Ki Yoon, a candidate who was accused by Heum of being backed by the South Korean government. A spokesman for Heum said the victory “means that the Korean Federation will now be autonomous from the Korean Consulate and the Korean government.”