Voter Registration Crosses Cultural Lines : Diversity: Black, Latino and Chinese-American students work to help Korean-Americans sign up to cast ballots as part of the Neighbor to Neighbor program.

After a quick, one-phrase cram course in Korean, 14 enthusiastic Los Angeles high school students of African, Latino and Chinese ancestries teamed up Saturday with the Korean American Coalition to register new voters in the heart of Koreatown.

“Yoo kwon ja im-ni-ka?” (“Are you a registered voter?”) Jessie Calvillo, Monica Perez, and Sylvia Ezirim, all 10th-graders, asked shoppers at the posh Koreatown Plaza, the Korean equivalent of the Beverly Center, at 928 Western Ave.

Curious at the sight of three smiling non-Korean youths posing the question, heads turned to look and then to inquire--in Korean, of course. KAC staffers Steve Yang and Kathy Pi and volunteer Tammy Cho answered questions from prospective voters in Korean.

By midafternoon, Jessie, Monica, Sylvia and their classmates, working at six shopping areas in Koreatown, had signed up 36 voters--a seemingly modest figure, but not in Koreatown, where getting people to register has been an uphill battle for more than a decade.

Saturday’s effort was the first time non-Koreans and Korean-Americans had joined forces to register voters, just the kind of constructive community activity that helps Angelenos, regardless of their ethnic backgrounds, get to know each other better on a personal level, students and adults said.

“It’s so interesting to meet people and learn other people’s culture,” said Jessie, who lives near Echo Park and was visiting Koreatown for the first time.

The students are participants in the city’s new Neighbor to Neighbor program, which pays high school students to work part time in community activities designed to improve ethnic relations. Begun in January, the program pays $4.45 an hour.

The idea for working with KAC originated with Anna Park, a Korean-American community organizer on Mayor Bradley’s staff.

Registering Korean-American voters has been a top priority of KAC, a community group founded 10 years ago by young people born in Korea but raised in America.

The group is responsible for registering about 12,500 people--a fourth of Korean-American registered voters in Los Angeles County, said Pi, chair of KAC’s Voter Registration Committee.

“This is a painstaking and continuous process,” she said. “We have to continuously remind Korean-Americans that every vote counts.”

Young-Pae Kim, 77, a Koreatown resident who was among those registering Saturday, said last year’s riots taught Koreans an important lesson about American politics.

“We learned that the only way for the Korean community to gain power is through the ballot box,” said Kim, a retired architect. “Personally, I was not hurt by the riots, but whenever I see boarded-up stores in Koreatown and the suffering that goes on among our people, I feel very sad. We were treated badly by politicians because we can’t deliver the votes. We must start now to build our political clout.”

“If you live in America, you have to be part of the system,” said Korean-American Myn-Minn Kim, who stood with high school student Pauline Gu, a Chinese-American, in front of California Market at Western Avenue and 5th Street to sign up voters. “Being a part of the system means registering to vote. Koreans keep saying our vote doesn’t count, but that’s wrong. Politicians listen to votes.”

Many shoppers who were approached by the volunteers said they want to vote but they’re not eligible to vote yet because they have not become U.S. citizens.

“That’s our next job,” said Yang, KAC’s community relations coordinator. “We need to have a campaign to get Koreans to become citizens.”