Although interactionists’ input, interaction, and output hypotheses offer a clear picture of what goes on in one's language learning product as well as in one's process, they fail to explain why interaction is not possible or even desirable for certain groups of learners. To explore negative factors which hamper selected Korean learners' oral interaction processes (N=14) in-and-out of class, a one-year ethnographic study was conducted with different methods (interviews, observations, and social network analysis) and multiple sources of data. Participants strongly voiced the importance of interpersonal relationships among students, between the students and the instructor, and their effect on second language learning. The results of this study indicate that both institutional and social contexts impact learning far more greatly than the choice of teaching method, material, or techniques. This result contradicts the popular belief that learners are ready to learn once the educational environment is optimalized. This study is significant in that it raises the importance of understanding the students' group dynamics that originate in their own culture. Based upon the findings of this study, coping strategies for interactional barriers are provided for the future Intensive English Programs (IEP) for students and teachers.