A preliminary study was conducted by the National Center for Bilingual Education on the Korean community living in the United States. The study focused on Korean Americans residing within the Los Angeles Long Beach area of southern California, one of the largest Korean communities in the United States. This report includes: (1) a history of the settlement patterns and characteristics of the Koreans and Korean Americans in the United States; (2) an analysis of Korean family structure and its effect on language maintenance and language loss; (3) a review of the language issues affecting the Korean American community; and (4) a profile of business, social and voluntary organizations that provide services in Korean. The report concludes with a summary and analysis of the Korean language and culture maintenance issues. (Author/APM)