Asian Fortune Your source for all things Asian American
By Tamara Treichel
Han Sung Oak, a popular Korean restaurant in Falls Church, Virginia, has closed its doors after more than two decades, eliciting a strong reaction among its patrons. The restaurant, located in Barcroft Plaza on Columbia Pike, has been shut down by Fairfax County because inspectors have found that the gas-fired system used for cooking Korean food at individual tables did not comply with county building codes.
“The Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department’s Fire Marshal Office has issued several notices of violation to the Han Sung Oak restaurant. The most serious violation was using ‘camping-style stoves’ fueled by butane canisters at individual customers’ tables within the restaurant. This is a direct and serious code violation of the Virginia and International Fire Code,” Dan Schmidt with the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department told Asian Fortune, adding that it was the Fire Marshal’s responsibility to ensure the safety of Fairfax County residents and visitors.
“These types of stoves have also been banned and deemed unsafe by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. There have been several documented instances where the stoves have caused severe damage to the inside of a structure,” Schmidt said.
Ralph Ours, director of leasing with Federal Realty Investment Trust, the owner of the shopping center, also commented on the restaurant’s closure, suggesting that attempts had been made to cooperate with the restaurant to keep it from closing.
“We attempted to work with them for a short- or long-term renewal, but they could not get comfortable making the upgrades to the gas-fired system. Sorry to see them go,” Ours told Asian Fortune.
Patrons reacted with disbelief, sadness and outrage upon hearing the news of Han Sung Oak’s closure as the restaurant had a reputation for the quality of its food and its warm and welcoming atmosphere.
“This is crazy! I am tired of having ONLY Korean restaurants in town, but this is one of the keepers because they actually maintain their appearance, welcome everyone and are clean. …Why after decades is the gas system not adequate? I am really sorry to see them go,” one of the restaurant’s patrons wrote in reaction to the Annandale, Virginia blog managed by Ellie Ashford, telling of the restaurant’s closure. Ashford’s blog aims to promote dialogue about issues and events that impact the lives of Annandale residents.
Another patron even proposed helping Han Sung Oak reopen in Maryland. “We are very, very sad to see you close. Our family of five has been coming from Potomac for the last decade. Everyone was always so welcoming, and we loved the food. If you ever want to open a restaurant in Potomac/Bethesda, I’d raise the investment funds,” this netizen wrote.
“This was my favorite Korean restaurant in the area. I was there at least once every two weeks. I am outraged that the county is being inconsistent with who they’re letting stay open and closing,” another patron raged.
Han Sung Oak’s owner Kun Rhee could not be reached for comment. Yet Peter Rhee, a member of the Rhee family, gracefully responded to the restaurant patrons’ comments on Ashford’s blog by thanking them for their kind remarks.
“We loved serving our customers and the community for over 20 years,” Rhee wrote in response. However, he was obviously puzzled by the Fairfax County’s decision that the restaurants’ grills weren’t up to par, suggesting that the decision was sudden and arbitrary and that no warning had been given.
“It didn’t make much sense to us either when the county decided that our grills weren’t up to code anymore. No warning, no nothing. They just shut down the grills on the spot along with the portable grills, that as mentioned, other restaurants use as well,” he said.
“We obviously passed inspection when we opened and every year since so it didn’t make sense why we and a handful of other places were singled out while others were allowed to continue. So we end on a bittersweet note, but retirement is well deserved and we look forward to it,” Rhee said.
Whether Fairfax County’s decision was indeed sudden and arbitrary as Rhee suggested, or not, as Schmidt and Ours have indicated, Han Sung Oak will be missed. It received an overall rating of four out of five stars on Yelp, and many patrons sang the praises of its Korean barbeque, pajeon (pancake-like Korean dish containing green onions) and kalbi (ribs).
One Yelp reviewer, however, saw the writing on the wall.
“Can’t say I’ve ever had a bad meal here either. Just keep in mind that if you do grill, you’re not gonna be smelling like roses afterwards. They don’t have the fancy schmancy built-in ventilation systems like Woo Lae Oak [another Korean restaurant]. They roll old school with the grills that smoke up the joint and end up permeating every pore and fiber of your being. Adjust your night accordingly – unless of course you wanna smell like grilled meat bar hopping,” a Yelp reviewer called Sam R. from Ashburn, Virginia, wrote.
