In Los Angeles County, home to a large Korean American population, there’s a noticeable deficiency in Korean language services offered by mainstream nonprofit organizations and government agencies.
Despite the presence of over 200,000 Korean Americans in L.A. County, these services are significantly underrepresented, impacting access for this community.
A joint study by the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health (LACDMH) and the Korean American nonprofit Good Life Care Resource Center reveals that among 380 government agencies and nonprofits providing mental health, government assistance, counseling, and medical benefits in Los Angeles County’s four metro areas (as of 2023), only 109 offered Korean language interpretation or materials at least once. This equates to about 28% of all organizations offering Korean language services.
Focusing solely on nonprofits further highlights the scarcity of Korean language services.
“Excluding government-related organizations, there are only about 10 nonprofits providing Korean language services, roughly 3% of the total,” noted Hyocheol Kim from the Good Life Care Resource Center, who conducted the survey. “No matter how many resources and systems LA County has, minorities like Koreans cannot receive adequate help if the language support system is not properly established.”
The Metro L.A. County area includes Koreatown (Mid-Wilshire neighborhood), Downtown, Westlake, and Boyle Heights.
The research indicates that aside from a few organizations like the Kheir Clinic, Koreatown Youth and Community Center (KYCC), Korean American Family Services, and Koreatown Immigrant Workers Alliance (KIWA), mainstream nonprofits offering Korean language services are nearly non-existent.
“In Los Angeles, the growing minority population makes providing language services crucial, but Korean-language services are often misinterpreted and interpreters are usually not full-time, complicating connection,” an official from a Korean nonprofit organization stated.
Even with abundant available information, Korean accessibility remains challenging. For instance, Catholic Charities of LA (catholiccharitiesla.org), serving the four metro areas of Los Angeles County, offers various assistance such as financial aid for utility bills and healthcare application guidance, but primarily in Spanish.
“The mainstream community has ample support organizations, but minorities like us are often unaware of them due to insufficient information,” said Hyunkyung Kim (45), with a family member who has a developmental disability. “And when we do know about them, the language barrier makes accessing services difficult.”
In the Los Angeles area, the California Lifeline program providing discounted phone rates for eligible households offers a Korean-language helpline (866-272-0354), yet it’s underutilized by Korean Americans.
“Many Koreans on Supplemental Security Income (SSI) would be eligible, but awareness about this service is low,” a program representative mentioned. “With the Korean-language service available, we hope more Koreans who meet the criteria will utilize it.”
Recently, the L.A. County Department of Mental Health and the Good Life Care Resource Center published the “Metro LA (Area4) Mental Health Resource Provider Directory”, a 288-page compendium of survey data, including each agency and organization’s role, website, and phone number. The guide is freely available through the Good Life Care Resource Center at 213-820-8855.
BY YEOL JANG, JUNHAN PARK [jang.yeol@koreadaily.com]
