The blocks on Manhattan's 32nd Street between Broadway and Fifth Avenue are officially called "Korea Way" due to the years-long, high concentration of Korean-American businesses there, with neon signs in Korean advertising restaurants, retail stores and offices. The street is filled with Koreans.

Korea Way, commonly known as Little Korea, is also well known and popular beyond the Korean community. It is common to see other ethnic groups eating at the Korean establishments, drinking Korean alcohol at the bars, or shopping for hair pins at its accessory shops. Yellow cabbies know well where to find Little Korea.

As Korea Way grows in popularity, a small group of business owners plan to found an association to help improve the area.

"For the past 10 years, I've seen a generational change among the business owners," says John Kim owner of Won Jo Restaurant. "These days, there are many young business owners who are work energetically and we have talked of establishing an association for small business owners in the town."

Kim added, "We look forward to seeing first-generation owners play a key role in the member association. If founded, it will be open to anyone who wants to make Korea Way better and who is willing to represent business owners to the city."

When it comes to bettering the condition of Little Korea, Kim pointed to the drainage system. There are only two manholes on the street, one each at the corner of Broadway and Fifth Avenue. When it rains, Kim says, or when a sanitary truck cleans the street, the water does not drain away because of the long distance between the two manholes. Since water stagnates on the street, there is always bad odor, especially at late night when the sanitary truck passes by.

Because of the poor drainage system, people can smell stench in the street. This contributes to downgrading the quality of the environment and Little Korea's reputation. The problem has persisted for years.

"If we have a sanitation truck come by twice a day to clean up the street and if the city considers repairing drainage system, the area will be much cleaner and more pleasant."

In addition to the drainage system, there are several other issues that need addressing, such as the business signs that have been put up without following a building code, or something as simple as translating the food menus into English for non-Korean speaking customers.

The group of business owners is currently working on gathering information on needs and concerns from all the Korean businesses on the street. The group has found support from the Greater New York Korean Association, which is the largest non-profit organization in the Korean community in New York City.