Workers’ Bid to Freeze Assets of Ex-Employer Hits Snag

A procedural problem Thursday delayed five Koreatown restaurant workers’ attempt to freeze their former employer’s assets while their lawsuit seeking hundreds of thousands of dollars in back wages awaits trial.

The workers, who are accusing Young Jo Choi and his wife, Bok Seung, of paying them illegally low wages and no overtime, are seeking to “attach” Choi’s two Koreatown apartment buildings and a Torrance home.

After questioning plaintiffs’ attorneys about several procedural matters, Superior Court Commissioner Arnold Levin directed them to show the court that an interpreter who translated workers’ declarations from Korean to English is court-certified.

They are due back in court on Monday.

In an unprecedented action in Los Angeles’ Korean immigrant community, two of the five workers on Wednesday publicly accused their former employer of violating labor laws.

The plaintiffs are Young Joo Cho, Chong Ok Kang, Chun Tong Kang, Kyung Sook Kim and Myung Sook Pak, who were employed as chefs or waitresses until May 20.