Korean community leaders pause for a solemn tribute on May 6, 2026, before a memorial on display at the conclusion of a news conference following the fatal shooting in Carrollton May 5. The Korean American Chamber of Commerce North Texas and Korean Society held a news conference at Korean Cultural Center, 11500 N. Stemmons Freeway in Dallas on May 6, 2026.
Steve Hamm/The Dallas Morning News
A day after a deadly shooting at K Towne Plaza in Carrollton, stunned civic and business leaders from North Texas’ Korean American community gathered Wednesday at the Korean Cultural Center in Dallas to mourn those killed, calm fears and urge residents to stand together in the aftermath of the violence.
The emotional news conference came a day after police say Seung Ho Han, 69, killed one person and wounded three others during a shooting Tuesday morning at a shopping center near State Highway 121 and Hebron Parkway.
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Police said they later found another person dead inside an apartment in the 2700 block of Old Denton Road. Investigators determined the second killing was connected to the shooting near K Towne Plaza and also was carried out by Han, according to police.
Officials identified the person killed at the shopping center as Sung Rae Cho, according to an arrest warrant affidavit. The person found dead in the apartment was identified as Edward Schleigh.
Olivia Kim, Yo Sung Kim and Young Yoo were identified as the three who sustained non-life-threatening injuries.
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Police said Han was arrested Tuesday afternoon after a foot chase near H Mart on Old Denton Road, several miles from the initial shooting scene at K Towne Plaza.
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“This hits too close to home,” said Mike Song, vice president of the Korean Society of Dallas and a former Carrollton council member. “This is where I grew up, and this is my home. It’s hard to swallow.”
Community leaders repeatedly stressed the shooting was not a hate crime or a random act of violence, echoing statements made Tuesday by Carrollton police Chief Roberto Arredondo.
“As confirmed by Carrollton police, this was an isolated incident stemming from a personal business issue,” said Sung Chul Woo, president of the Korean Society of Dallas. “It’s not a random act.”
Investigators said Han later confessed to shooting all five people and told detectives he was angry over financial disagreements connected to business dealings with the people he allegedly shot.
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According to records with the Texas Secretary of State, Han owns a Korean sushi restaurant called Kkanbu in Carrollton at 4070 State Highway 121.
‘We will stand together’
Throughout the nearly hourlong news conference, speakers repeatedly returned to a message of unity, urging the Korean American community not to allow fear, anger or rumors to divide a community they described as deeply connected.
“We will stand together,” Woo said. “We will support one another and move forward.”
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Won Young Kim, president of the Dallas chapter of the Peaceful Unification Advisory Council, urged community members and business owners to seek peaceful resolutions to disputes before conflicts escalate.
“Violence is not the answer,” Kim said. “If you have issues, ask help from community members and community leaders so we can intervene and solve the issue in a peaceful way.”
Community leaders described a tight-knit Korean American population in North Texas where many business owners have known each other for decades and helped build the Korean business corridor stretching through Carrollton and Lewisville.
John Jun, board chair of Korean American Coalition DFW chapter, center, speaks of the pain the Korean community is suffering following the fatal shootings May 5 in Carrollton. The Korean American Chamber of Commerce North Texas and Korean Society held a news conference at the Korean Cultural Center in Dallas on May 6, 2026.
Steve Hamm/The Dallas Morning News
“We are all mourning and we ask all the community to come together and pray for the victims and try to be better going forward so that something like this doesn’t happen again,” said John Jun, board chair of the Korean American Coalition’s DFW chapter.
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Daniel Shin, president of the Korean Chamber of Commerce of Greater North Texas, said several of the victims had long histories within the local Korean business community and previously served in chamber leadership roles.
“Every one of them, you know, I did business with them and worked together,” Shin said. “We’ve been working together about 15 years.”
Shin said the shooting has deeply shaken a business community where many owners have spent decades building relationships and helping develop Korean-owned shopping and dining corridors across the area.
“The condolences are still with us, but life must go on,” Shin said. “We need to move on, but we will not forget about this tragedy.”
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Leaders also sought to reassure residents and customers that businesses around K Towne Plaza, H Mart and other Korean-owned shopping centers in Carrollton remain safe and open.
“We built this community to be a safe place for people to come and shop and dine,” Jun said, describing decades of work transforming aging shopping centers in Carrollton and Lewisville into thriving Korean business corridors.
‘It’s not easy’
Across the plaza from where one of the shootings took place, Cap’t Loui restaurant owner Hanna Rhee described Han as a relentless worker who showed up daily and often handled much of Kkanbu’s work himself despite having employees.
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“One day I walked into the kitchen and he was doing the dishes himself while employees were working,” Rhee said. “That’s how hard working he was. He was just trying to make this work.”
Rhee said many businesses in the shopping center have struggled financially in recent years because the plaza lacks a major anchor business to consistently draw customer traffic.
We’re all struggling. It’s not easy,” Rhee said. “If we had an anchor market there, it would bring in way more foot traffic and help every one of our businesses.”
She said Han frequently adjusted his menu and sought advice from neighboring business owners as he tried to attract more customers and keep the restaurant afloat.
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“He even came to me asking for advice about his menu and what he should do,” Rhee said.
Despite the shooting, Rhee said she still believes in the future of the plaza and the family-owned businesses located there.
“I know most of the owners here,” she said. “They’re all … all hard-working, coming to work every single day just trying to make ends meet.”
Rhee said news of the shooting left her stunned.
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“It was very shocking,” she said. “It’s tragic. It’s just sad in every way.”
Memorial altar
A memorial altar featuring flowers and photographs of the victims was set up inside the cultural center as community members quietly paid their respects throughout the gathering. Organizers said community groups are also preparing support efforts for victims’ families, including possible fundraising assistance for funeral and recovery expenses.
Several speakers became emotional while discussing the broader impact of the shooting on a community that traces its North Texas roots back decades.
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“There may be 150,000 Korean Americans here now, but we all know the families and their kids,” Song said. “That’s what makes this so shocking.”
Before concluding the news conference, leaders again urged residents to support one another and continue supporting local businesses in the Koreatown corridor.
“We are mourning together, but we also have to stand together so something like this never happens again,” Jun said.