Exhibit 99.1



      Ho Yang Resigns as CEO and Director of Nara Bancorp, Inc.
                and Nara Bank Effective March 15, 2006


    LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 16, 2006--Mr. Ho Yang submitted
his resignation on February 15, 2006 as a member of the Board of
Directors and as President and Chief Executive Officer of Nara
Bancorp, Inc. (the "Company") and its subsidiary Nara Bank, which will
be effective as of March 15, 2006.
    The Board intends to name an interim President and CEO shortly to
serve after Mr. Yang's departure until a permanent President and CEO
is found. During the transition period, the Board will also work
closely with the executive management team to oversee key decisions
being made at the Company.
    "We are initiating a search for a new CEO who can continue the
progress we have made over the past year to strengthen the Company and
lead us in our next phase of profitable growth," said Dr. Chong Moon
Lee, Chairman of the Board of Nara Bancorp.

    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 18 branches and 8 loan production
offices in the United States and one liaison office in Seoul, Korea.
Nara Bank operates full-service branches in California and New York,
with loan production offices in California, Washington, Colorado,
Texas, Georgia, Illinois, 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 and projected full-year financial
results 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.


    CONTACT: Financial Relations Board
             Tony Rossi, 310-854-8317 (Investor Relations)
             trossi@financialrelationsboard.com