The Korean business scene in Irvine is somewhat different from the independent Korean towns formed in LA or Garden Grove.

In Irvine, there isn't a distinct 'Korean Street'; instead, Korean businesses are spread out near residential areas, strip malls, and office complexes. One of the areas with the highest concentration of Korean businesses includes the small shopping strips around Korean Plaza at Jeffrey Rd. & Walnut Ave., as well as the strip malls located along Alton Pkwy., Culver Dr., and Irvine Center Dr.

In terms of Korean food, there are several Korean restaurants, cafes, bakeries, Korean chicken places, tteokbokki specialty shops, and sundubu specialty shops operating in Irvine. Notably, near the UCI campus (along University Dr. & Campus Dr.), there are many Korean cafes and restaurants targeting students and young people. If you search for 'Irvine Korean food' on delivery apps (DoorDash, Uber Eats), you can find a variety of options. Various types of cuisine, including sushi, ramen, snacks, and Korean BBQ, are available, and the overall quality is quite high.

In the service industry, there are active Korean-operated real estate agencies, insurance companies, accounting offices, law firms, financial planners, and immigration attorney offices. Due to the high housing prices and active real estate transactions in Irvine, the activities of Korean real estate agents are particularly noticeable.

There are also many professional service businesses in Irvine that provide services related to tax returns, business incorporation, and immigration visas in Korean. Korean doctors, dentists, and oriental medicine clinics are also located in office complexes near the IUSD school district, making them accessible without language barriers in medical settings.

Education-related businesses are also a significant part of the Korean market in Irvine. The tutoring center and test prep market is particularly developed, with numerous establishments offering SAT, ACT, and AP preparation, advanced math and science tutoring, piano and violin lessons, art academies, taekwondo studios, and swimming lessons for children's education. Well-known Korean entrance exam academies have branches in Irvine, offering a variety of programs from individual courses to comprehensive exam management.

Additionally, Korean-operated beauty salons (hair, nails, skincare), Korean ingredient delivery services, and Korean media-related companies are steadily increasing. The high income levels and emphasis on education in Irvine provide a fertile ground for the growth of Korean businesses.