LOS ANGELES — Every week for the past eight months, Andy Yoo has been showing up at his martial arts school with one goal in mind.
“I want to become a blue belt,” he said, “right now I’m still ranked white.”
But Yoo isn’t doing it for kicks. He’s doing it to protect himself.
“Seeing the news, it’s just never-ending," Yoo said.
An immigrant from South Korea, he’s never been worried about his safety— until now.
“I think of it many times, especially me living alone,” he said. “I feel very vulnerable.”
More than 6,600 hate incidents targeting Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders were recorded nationwide since the pandemic began.
The wave of attacks has many in the AAPI community feeling uneasy about a return to normal, with one in three Asian-Americans saying they’re fearful of being the target of a hate crime.
Yoo’s school, the Moorimgoong Martial Arts Academy in Koreatown, says it's seen a 25% increase in Asian-American students in the last year.
Today’s MMA class is focused on punching and kicking. Students get three minutes to try and subdue their opponents. At first, Yoo seems to have the upper hand. But after getting into a chokehold he taps out.
Even though it wasn’t exactly the outcome he was hoping for, Yoo is feeling upbeat.
“I was slouching a bit last year but I feel like I can walk tall,” he said.