Sitka asks state not to renew Little Tokyo's liquor license at its old address

Sitka's Assembly is asking the state not to renew the liquor license for Little Tokyo, a restaurant the city says hasn't operated at its licensed address on Lincoln Street since at least 2022.

Kwang Yoon, whose company holds the license, moved Little Tokyo in 2020, during the pandemic, into the Seward Street building where his Asian Palace restaurant operates, his accountant, Christine Harrington, told a state investigator Oct. 14. She said he couldn't afford both locations and forgot to file the paperwork to move the license.

The old Little Tokyo space has since been converted to a store and then a coffee shop, according to city permits cited in the state board's packet.

The state's alcohol licensing office has put the license on temporarily surrendered status. On Oct. 26, it issued a notice of violation for failing to get approval to move the license, and it received no response in the 10 days it allowed, the packet says.

The Assembly voted 6-0 on Oct. 27 to protest the renewal. Harrington told members operational changes were made during the pandemic, according to the minutes. The same night, the Assembly approved renewal of the company's license for Asian Palace.

The Alcoholic Beverage Control Board is scheduled to take up Little Tokyo's renewal Nov. 17 in Anchorage. Under state law, it must deny a protested renewal unless it finds the protest arbitrary, capricious or unreasonable.

Restaurant liquor licenses are limited in Sitka. State law allows one for each 1,500 residents or fraction of that, and the board was scheduled to choose between two businesses competing for the last available one Nov. 10.