Abstract
BACKGROUND: Korean immigrants are among the top five Asian immigrant groups in California. Many came to the United States with a visa or green card, and later some became U.S. citizens. One's nationality refers to the country of their legal citizenship, but it is often also the country where they were born. As some people renounce their citizenship from their country of origin, the impact of nationality on identity and the influence of identity on nationality have yet to be studied. METHODS: We conducted a qualitative study using semi-structured, in-depth interviews between March 2023 and July 2023. A total of 24 Korean immigrants in the San Francisco Bay Area, California, participated in this study. RESULTS: Our findings revealed diverse viewpoints on U.S. citizenship among Korean immigrants. Some expressed a desire to obtain U.S. citizenship, some wished to maintain their Korean citizenship, and a few expressed ambivalence regarding the need for U.S. citizenship. In addition, we found that when citizenship is valued by both individuals and the host country, nationality becomes a more influential factor in shaping the sense of belonging. Participants discussed the connection between nationality and identity, emphasizing recurring feelings of being caught between two identities: Korean and American. CONCLUSION: The study suggests that increased access to mental health support and resources is needed to improve the psychological well-being of Korean immigrants. Future research is expected to reach a broader group of Korean immigrants with diverse backgrounds, locations, and experiences to make the findings more generalizable.