Research Paper on:
Caught in the Middle by Min

Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
Korean Merchants in Americas Multiethnic Cities." Korean merchants have especially endured unfavorable treatment in New York City and Los Angeles and this is the focus of the work that provides  many stories and a semblance of an explanation for why these merchants are treated so harshly. To some extent, the reason for the problem as laid out by the author  is that the nature of business for Koreans is such that they often act as middle men. They deal with other cultures within their communities as well as large corporations  and that puts them in an odd role. Specific events are noted in the work such as the time in Los Angeles when Korean merchants were specially targeted during  the riots in 1992. Yet, it helps to remember the context of the riots. It followed the beating of Rodney King, a black man who was harmed by police in  front of video cameras. When the police officers caught on tape were acquitted, an assault on the neighborhood followed. The burning of Los Angeles was done on the spur of  the moment and without rhyme or reason. Logically, one would think that the Koreans would not be targets, but many Korean businesses were destroyed. The Los Angeles riots were unique,  according to the author, because the African American community targeted the Korean stores. He provides support for the supposition that Koreans were the targets and it was not coincidental that  their stores appeared on television. In fact, the author reports that 45% (Min, 1996, p.1) of the riot damage was to Korean owned businesses. While the media-centered stories--the L.A.  riots, the boycott of Korean merchants in Brooklyn-- are well known, particularly to those who live in the cities that were in the midst of it, there are many other