LOS ANGELES — As the graduates of Seoul Arts High School and its sister junior high arrived at the banquet, they greeted one another with cries of "Sunbae-nim!" — older classmate — or "Hubae!" — younger classmate.
Their ages spanned decades. Most had not known each other in South Korea. But the bond they shared — having studied music, painting or dance at the prestigious arts schools — was strong.
On this late December evening in Koreatown, they were gathered for a traditional Korean song-nyeun-hwae — "send off the year" party.
