Korean Merchants to Hire Black Neighbors : Race relations: Leaders of both communities hail the agreement, made in an effort to ease tensions in the wake of violence. Pacoima is targeted for about 20 of the jobs.

In one of the most concrete steps taken to ease tensions between the Korean-American and African-American communities, Korean merchants have agreed to offer 100 jobs to residents of the mostly black neighborhoods where they do business, Mayor Tom Bradley said Thursday.

Although the program is a relatively small offering amid the complex economic and racial problems facing the two communities, leaders hailed it as one of their first tangible achievements.

“This is real--putting money in the pockets of 100 people for legitimate work,” said John W. Mack, president of the Los Angeles Urban League, which will help recruit and screen prospective employees. “This goes beyond rhetoric, beyond symbolism . . . beyond people talking of having a love-in or an annual brotherhood week.”

Under the plan, which takes effect March 1, shopkeepers in South-Central Los Angeles, the Compton area and Pacoima will voluntarily provide jobs ranging in pay from minimum wage to $12 an hour, as well as offer entry into management-level positions.

Employees, who will be referred to the program by community and religious organizations, will undergo at least two months of training prior to taking the jobs, and will participate in cultural sensitivity classes with their new employers.

About 20 of the jobs will be offered in the Pacoima area, said Vallee Bunting, deputy press secretary to the mayor.

David Kim, president of the Korean-American Grocers Assn. of Southern California, said that Pacoima was chosen because of its large black population, but there is no evidence of tensions between blacks and Koreans in Pacoima.

“We have a real good relationship there in Pacoima,” Kim said.

Yang Il Kim, president of the National Korean-American Grocers Assn., said he plans to use the program as a prototype for similar projects in New York, Philadelphia, Washington and Baltimore.

“This is a great idea and a first step to solve our tensions,” said Kim, who was one of a number of Korean-American and black leaders who announced the jobs agreement during a news conference in the mayor’s office.

The employment program was included in a truce negotiated by the mayor’s office last month that also ended the boycott of a South Los Angeles liquor store owned by Korean-Americans, who somewhat reluctantly are offering it for sale, initially to African-American buyers.

The truce was intended to build bridges between Korean-American and African-American leaders in the wake of several violent encounters at Korean-owned shops in which blacks and merchants were killed.

Blacks have accused the merchants of being rude, overly suspicious and failing to share the benefits of their businesses with the neighborhoods that support them. Grocers say that they are torn between serving their good customers and guarding against the risks associated with doing business in some of the city’s most economically depressed areas.

Although Korean merchants said they were unhappy with being forced by the Bradley truce to shut down the boycotted store, they praised the jobs program as a “win-win situation” for shopkeepers and their neighbors.

Kim, the president of the 3,300-member Korean-American Grocers Assn. of Southern California, said 40 grocers in his organization have already made commitments to the idea in the belief that it will improve community relations, help prevent crime and, ultimately, because it just “makes good business sense.”

“Contrary to the often-held public perception, many Korean-American merchants can afford to hire from the communities they do business in,” Kim said. But, he added, many shopkeepers have had difficulty finding qualified workers, a fact that has discouraged them from taking chances on unfamiliar employees.

To allay the concerns of the merchants, all employees admitted into the jobs program will be screened by the Urban League staff, which already helps more than 2,000 people a year find jobs in the Los Angeles area.

Mack, who has served as president of the organization since 1969, said he views those who enter the program as “ambassadors of goodwill” who will serve as important links between the merchants and the neighborhoods they serve.

“This is a very good day for Los Angeles,” he said.

Bradley, who particularly praised Korean-American leaders for their “creative work, visionary work and tenacity,” said his office would monitor the operation of the program and serve as a liaison between the merchants and African-American leaders.

“I will do everything in my power to make sure that this effort succeeds,” the mayor said.