The Korean media in los angeles: Their role in the multicultural society

Abstract

The Korean media in LA have come a long way to help Koreans adapt to American society and at the same time, to provide them with necessary information to understand current issues in Korea almost simultaneously. Also, as LA Koreatown is the largest Korean community overseas, the Korean media in LA play a crucial role to bridge the gap between the generations and between Korea and America. Even though, many Korean media tend to work in poor condition and lack of experienced employees compared to the mainstream media, they take responsibilities for immigrants who were usually exempted from the white- predominant media by customizing the news and information for the Korean community. As of 2010, the Overseas Korean Foundation Support Act was enacted in Korea. Accordingly, the Act insures that the government supports overseas Korean media in a variety of fields with technical as well as financial support. In this context, despite of growing concerns about possible constriction of freedom of speech, the Korean media in LA definitely enter a new epoch. © 2013 SERSC.