Exhibit 99.1

CONTACT INFORMATION:

Investors and Financial Media:

Tony Rossi

Financial Relations Board

213-486-6545

Nara Bancorp Completes $67 Million Capital Addition

As Participant In U.S. Treasury’s Capital Purchase Program

LOS ANGELES, CA – November 21, 2008 – Nara Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ: NARA) today announced that it has completed its $67 million capital addition as a participant in the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Capital Purchase Program (CPP).

On November 21, 2008, Nara received an investment of $67 million from the U.S. Treasury in exchange for 67,000 shares of preferred stock and a warrant to purchase up to 1,042,531 shares of Nara’s common stock at an exercise price of $9.64.

Min Kim, Chief Executive Officer of Nara Bancorp, said, “We are pleased to complete this capital addition, which will further strengthen our financial position and increase our ability to fund attractive lending opportunities.”

The following table summarizes the effect that the CPP investment has on the Company’s capital ratios:

	Pre-CPP Investment 9/30/2008	Post-CPP Investment 9/30/2008 (pro forma)
Leverage Capital Ratio	10.42%	13.07%
Tier One Risk-Based Capital Ratio	11.84%	14.85%
Total Risk-Based Capital Ratio	13.08%	16.08%

A summary of the Capital Purchase Program, including the terms of the preferred stock and warrant issued by Nara Bancorp, can be found on the Treasury’s website at www.ustreas.gov/initiatives/eesa.

About Nara Bancorp, Inc.

Nara Bancorp, Inc. is the parent company of Nara Bank, which was founded in 1989. Nara Bank is a full-service community bank headquartered in Los Angeles, with 21 branches and 6 loan production offices in the United States. Nara Bank operates full-service branches in California, New York and New Jersey, with loan production offices in California, Nevada, Texas, Georgia, New Jersey, and Virginia. Nara Bank was founded specifically to serve the needs of Korean-Americans, one of the fastest-growing Asian ethnic communities over the past decade. Presently, Nara Bank serves a diverse group of customers mirroring its communities. Nara Bank specializes in core business banking products for small and medium-sized companies, with emphasis in commercial

real estate and business lending, SBA lending and international trade financing. Nara Bank is a member of the FDIC and is an Equal Opportunity Lender. For more information on Nara Bank, visit our website at www.narabank.com. Nara Bancorp, Inc. stock is listed on NASDAQ under the symbol “NARA.”

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements including statements about future operations that are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward looking statements, including, but not limited to economic, competitive, governmental and technological factors affecting the Company’s operations, markets, products, services, and pricing. Readers should carefully review the risk factors and the information that could materially affect the Company’s financial results and business, described in documents the Company files from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and Annual Reports on Form 10-K, and particularly the discussion of business considerations and certain factors that may affect results of operations and stock price set forth therein. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. The Company undertakes no obligation to revise or publicly release the results of any revision to these forward-looking statements.

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