Work underway on new Korean Community Center in Annandale

The Korean Community Center will be located here.

Renovations started last week on a Korean Community Center in Annandale, and the project is expected to be completed in early 2021, says Steve Lee, president of the Korean American Association of the Washington Metropolitan Area.

The center is located in an office building at 6601 Little River Turnpike. The association purchased the building about a year ago. 

The center will start with a 6,000-square-foot space on the second floor. There will be two large rooms that can be used for meetings, classes, or community gatherings, plus offices. 

The center will serve the public at large, not just Korean Americans. “The Korean American community wants to give something back to the larger community,” says Lee, noting that people have complained about the lack of community space in Annandale. 

The building is about half vacant. Other tenants –  mostly professional offices and nonprofits, including Bethany House – will stay for the time being. Eventually, the Korean Community Center will expand to other floors when the association raises enough funds. 

The local Korean community raised the bulk of the funding for the project from donations. Fairfax County and the Korean Embassy also contributed some funds. 

Related story: KORUS brings Korean entertainment, food to Annandale

The Korean American Association of the Washington Metropolitan Area, headquartered in the Evergreen Office Condominiums in Annandale, hosts the annual KORUS festival, a celebration of Korean culture featuring live music and dance, food, talent competitions, and vendors. 

The COVID-19 pandemic quashed the 2020 KORUS festival, but it will return in 2021. The association hasn’t yet decided on a date or location.