articles presented from the korean-american side stated that "korean american merchants were apparently targeted by looters during the la. riots, according to the fbi official who directed federal law enforcement efforts during the disturbance." the korean american newspaper focused on the 1992 riots with korean americans being the center of the violence. initial articles from late april and early may were about the stories depicting victims' lives and the damage done to the la korean community. interviews with koreatown merchants, such as chung lee, drew sympathy from its readers. chung lee, the model example of good merchant watched, helplessly, as his store was burned down. "i worked hard for that store. now i have nothing," said lee.