Cultural Identity,Social Capital,and Social Control of Young Korean Americans: Extending the Theory of Intercultural Public Relations

Through 10 in-depth interviews and 2 focus groups, this exploratory study examines how young Korean Americans perceive cultural identity, utilize social capital, and identify conflicts that arise between themselves and their significant others, particularly focusing on how they integrate Korean and American culture. The findings reveal that young Korean Americans have multifaceted, situational identities, which go beyond existing cultural stereotypes, maximize their religious-based social capital and human capital, and experience a varying range of cultural tensions and conflicts in social settings. Therefore, situational cultural identity, a new category of intercultural public relations is suggested, and implications for the practice of public relations are discussed.