in 1997 but comprised only 3% of the state's population. In California's Santa Clara County, a report of showed that Asians accounted for 33% of domestic violence related deaths from 1993-1997 while Asians made up 14% of the county's population. (Ho Kim, 1999, p.12)
             In addition to the few surveys, the indirect facts of shelters and family counselors show the height of the problem. According to Vijay Agnew of the Center for Pacific Asian Family, the Asian Women's Shelter in San Francisco turns away 75% of women who need their services due to lack of space. (Agnew, 1998, pp.8-10) Yet, many of these statistics are grossly misrepresented due to the subjects' conscious effort of underreporting. It is difficult to understand that the average Korean American battered wife will not report their case to another agency outside the family. Uncovering the details of the cultural background in which they are isolated to can see the perspective of the Korean wife.
             The Korean immigration to the United States under went their third and largest wave within the past three decades. A majority of Korean American families that reside here in the coastal areas are first generation immigrants. What is important to realize about this first generation is their unwillingness to compromise their strong traditional values and norms. The great majority of both wives and husbands adhered to the traditional role patterns brought over from the old country. (Ho Kim, 1999, pp.14-15)
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