Lifting the veil on drug abuse in LA's Koreatown

In a blue-and-white church on the outskirts of Los Angeles' Koreatown, pastor Young Ho Han is trying to lift the veil on a problem silently afflicting his community: drug abuse among young Korean-Americans.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Gpjpafe2IE

It's an issue Han knows well, starting with his own addiction to cocaine in the 1970s to the increasingly young U.S.-born Koreans whose parents approach him today.

Among all Asian groups, Koreans have some of the highest rates of illicit drug use. According to federal data, 12.9 percent reported using a narcotic within the last year. Those figures are only slightly below overall nationwide rate.

For years, studies lumped all Asians into one category. But increasingly, health officials and advocates are pointing toward the need to evaluate individual subgroups and take a culturally-mindful approach to treatment.

Korean Pastor Drug Rehab

In this Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2015 photo, Inhui Bak, left, prays for her son, Daniel, along with other parents of drug addicts during a parent meeting at Nanoom Christian Fellowship, a drug rehab for Korean Americans, in Los Angeles. Daniel Bak moved into the church in February after four years of addiction. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Korean Pastor Drug Rehab

In this Thursday, July 30, 2015 photo, Steve Park, left, Daniel Bak share a laugh in the hallway of Nanoom Christian Fellowship, a drug rehab for Korean Americans, in Los Angeles. Daniel Bak is learning Korean, meditating and says he’s hasn’t been so clean since he was 18. But there have been hiccups. A month ago, he hopped over the metal blue gate and wound up shooting heroin on Skid Row. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Korean Pastor Drug Rehab

In this Wednesday, July 29, 2015 photo, recovering drug addicts Steve Park, front, and Alex Jang lie in the bed at Nanoom Christian Fellowship, a church that doubles as a rehab for Korean-American drug users, in Los Angeles. Among all Asian groups, Koreans have some of the highest rates of illicit drug use, 12.9 percent reported illegally using a narcotic within the last year, a number experts say may in fact be much higher. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Korean Pastor Drug Rehab

In this Wednesday, July 29, 2015 photo, recovering drug addicts Sungkyu Her, left, and Steve Lee work out at Nanoom Christian Fellowship, a drug rehab for Korean Americans, in Los Angeles. Many residents at the rehab exercise regularly even hours a day to keep their mind off the temptation. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Korean Pastor Drug Rehab

In this Thursday, July 16, 2015 photo, recovering drug addicts and staff members from Nanoom Christian Fellowship, a drug rehab for Korean Americans, form a circle to pray before the start of their morning exercise at the Griffith Park in Los Angeles. Among all Asian groups, Koreans have some of the highest rates of illicit drug use, 12.9 percent reported illegally using a narcotic within the last year, a number experts say may in fact be much higher. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Korean Pastor Drug Rehab

In this Tuesday, July 14, 2015 photo, pastor Young Ho Han, right, shares a light moment with recovering drug addict Steve Yoo at Nanoom Christian Fellowship, a drug rehab for Korean Americans, in Los Angeles. In a blue-and-white painted church on the outskirts of Los Angeles’ Koreatown, pastor Han is trying to lift the veil on a problem silently scourging his community: Drug abuse among young Korean Americans. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Korean Pastor Drug Rehab

In this Wednesday, July 29, 2015 photo, associate pastor Shi Kwan Hur, center, works out with a group of residents at Nanoom Christian Fellowship, a drug rehab for Korean Americans, in Los Angeles. Hur, a former drug addict himself, said his past helps him better understand the addicts. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Korean Pastor Drug Rehab

In this Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2015 photo, Inhui Bak, left, laughs while chatting with her son, Daniel, a 22-year-old recovering drug addict, at Nanoom Christian Fellowship, a drug rehab for Korean Americans, in Los Angeles. “I knew he had a problem, but I can’t say it,” Inhui Bak said. “All the Korean mommies or daddies, they don’t want to say it.” (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Korean Pastor Drug Rehab

In this Tuesday, July 14, 2015 photo, recovering drug addict William Song, 24, rides a bike in the parking lot of Nanoom Christian Fellowship, a drug rehab for Korean Americans, in Los Angeles. Song was checked into the rehab by his mother about a year ago. He plans to move back to South Korea where his father lives. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Korean Pastor Drug Rehab

In this Thursday, July 16, 2015 photo, recovering drug addict Brian Shim watches a video in his bed at Nanoom Christian Fellowship in Los Angeles. Among all Asian groups, Koreans have some of the highest rates of illicit drug use, 12.9 percent reported illegally using a narcotic within the last year, a number experts say may in fact be much higher. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Korean Pastor Drug Rehab

In this Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2015 photo, recovering drug addicts Brian Shim comforts Annie An in the Kitchen area of Nanoom Christian Fellowship in Los Angeles. The church doubles as a drug rehab for Korean Americans. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Korean Pastor Drug Rehab

In this Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2015 photo, A cross stands on the roof of Nanoom Christian Fellowship, a church that doubles as a drug rehab for Korean-American drug addicts, in Los Angeles. Among all Asian groups, Koreans have some of the highest rates of illicit drug use, 12.9 percent reported illegally using a narcotic within the last year, a number experts say may in fact be much higher. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Korean Pastor Drug Rehab

In this Tuesday, July 14, 2015 photo, pastor Young Ho Han plays the guitar as he leads an evening service for Korean-American drug addicts at Nanoom Christian Fellowship in Los Angeles. In a blue-and-white painted church on the outskirts of Los Angeles’ Koreatown, Han is trying to lift the veil on a problem silently scourging his community: Drug abuse among young Korean Americans. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

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Text from AP news story, Near LA's Koreatown, Pastor Tries to Lift Veil on Drug Abuse, by Christen Armario.

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