• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.11 no.8
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• pp.2840-2852
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• 2010

The number of North Korean refugees entering South Korea since the mid 1990s has increased continuously and recently the number has reached 2 million people, which is expected to continue to rise. In the meantime, the government of South Korea has been developing various means to help the North Korean refugees take part in our society and to increase their self-reliance. In this study, improvements were made to systems where North Korean national qualifications are made eligible for use in South Korea, to help them better adapt to our society. The research conducted a Delphi survey of 70 professional qualified workers, training specialists, qualified professionals, researchers and government agents, and 6 interviews were carried out to North Korean refugees and qualified judges. The results complement the current system, in terms of eligibility qualification procedures, where the department's role in its qualification procedure is enhanced and practical experiences are added to the procedure.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.240-250
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• 2020

This study explores the process of transitional career choice for North Korean defectors who are successfully living their lives after transition to a different system labor market. To achieve this study purpose, what is the process of transitional career choice for North Korean defectors due to the system transition? At present, he (Ed- who is he?) has a subjective sense of success in his professional life and conducted in depth interviews with three men and eight women as objects that can explain the process of experience in rich and detailed ways. To this end, the author interviewed three men and eight women who are satisfied with their current job and analyzed them with the grounded theory method proposed by Strauss & Corbin (1998). As a result, the paradigm model was derived from the central phenomenon of 'conversion of perspective', and the core category was 'conversion of perspective and challenge new career'. The transitional career choice process was derived into four stages according to the flow of time and interaction as 'reality recognition stage', 'active change recognition stage', 'support and coping strategy stage', and 'growth stage' and positive reflections from transitional learning and potential factors of planned chance skills were found.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.56 no.2
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• pp.217-230
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• 2023

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to assess the diet intake status and quality of adults from North Korea who had lived in Seoul and Gyeonggi-do, using the nutrition quotient (NQ) for Korean adults. Methods: A number of 166 adults aged from 20 to 64 years were enrolled as study subjects. A structured questionnaire was used to collect information on their demographic characteristics, food consumption frequency, eating behaviors, and NQ. The NQ score was then used to measure the overall diet quality. The NQ score was composed of four major age-based categories. 'Balance', 'Diversity', 'Moderation', and 'Dietary behavior' were utilized as scores for measurements within each of the four categories. The scores for all four categories were summed up, resulting in the total NQ score. Participants' age groups were stratified by 20's, 30's, 40', and over 50's. A χ² test and generalized linear regression (GLM) model were used to assess a significance for difference of subject distribution in categorical and continuous variables in the food consumption frequency, eating behaviors, and NQ scores. Results: Participants in younger age groups were more likely to report consumption of ramyeon, fast food, sweet and greasy baked products, processed beverage, delivery food, and night snacks than the older age groups. Most importantly, participants in 20's age group were less likely to report the total NQ and moderation score than the 50's age group. Conclusion: In this study, the 20's age group displayed a lower NQ characteristic for an unbalanced diet. Therefore, it is imperative for adults from North Korea to be given individualized diet instructions along with nutritional education programs.

• Journal of Convergence for Information Technology
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• v.11 no.5
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• pp.259-266
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• 2021

This paper sought to help north Korean women understand their lives and seek to integrate the in-house between North and South Korea by organizing the overall reality of north Korea's fashionable hairstyles and beauty industry. The research method looks at the appearance management activities of North Koreans in north Korean media, media outlets, and testimonies of north Koreans who have been on the outstay since Kim Jong-un's ruling, among other things, and analyzed their hair activities. C. Studies have shown that some improvements have been made since the Kim Regime through the smuggling of foreign goods by yusists. In addition, it was confirmed that beauty education is being systematically edied out through a beauty training institute in North Korea, and that it has changed from a fixed salary system to an ability-based allowance. This study shows a limitation that north Korea has failed to study. It is believed to be a boon to future research on North Korean hair.

• Korean Journal of Culture and Social Issue
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• v.14 no.1_spc
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• pp.487-518
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• 2008

The study identifies the major themes for integration education program which enhances the relationship between the north Korean refugees and their south Korean hosts. The themes were selected based on qualitative analysis of the socio-cultural conflicts experienced by the refugees and the hosts in the acculturation process. Twenty-eight north Korean refugees over age 20 participated in semi-structured interviews, and two south Korean groups in close contact with the refugees, police and volunteer teachers, were interviewed in focus groups. The interviews were recorded and transcribed for categorization and coding. The study views the acculturation issue as the two-sided integration task for both the north Korean refugees and the south Korean hosts rather than as the one-sided acceptance and assimilation task for the refugees.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.52 no.5
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• pp.449-464
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• 2019

Purpose: North Koreans could be at higher risk for their bone health because of previous periods of severe famine and the continuing low availability of food. This study determined the bone mineral density (BMD) status and its relationship with dietary behaviors and nutrient intake of North Korean refugees (NKR) in South Korea (SK). Methods: This cross-sectional study analyzed 110 female NKR from a NORNS cohort of a non-probability sample of adult NKR in Seoul. BMD examined by DEXA was used to divide participants into the normal group (NG) and the non-normal group (NNG) according to the WHO guideline. A self-administered questionnaire included questions on age, the socioeconomic situation in North Korea (NK) and SK, the food security in NK and SK, and the health behaviors, dietary behaviors, and food frequency questionnaire administered in SK. A one-day 24-hr recall was conducted and the results were analyzed by using CanPro. SPSS was used to analyze whether BMD and related dietary behaviors and nutrient intakes differed according to the groups. Results: NG (62.7%) was significantly younger and had a lower abdominal obesity score than NNG (p < 0.001). While 14.5% of NG reported experiencing menopause, all of NNG reported experiencing menopause. The NG more frequently consumed the dairy group of foods (9.6 times a week) than did the NNG (4.8 times a week) after the statistics were adjusted for age (p < 0.007). The NG consumed significantly more animal protein and animal calcium than did the NNG (p = 0.01, p = 0.009, respectively). Calcium intake was low with 49.3% of NG, and 78.0% of the NNG reported consuming calcium lower than the estimated average requirement. Only calcium showed an index of nutrient quality lower than one in both groups. Conclusion: These results showed that NKR women and possibly all North Korean women are at high risk for bone health and they consumed low levels of bone-related nutrients, and this should be considered for the nutrition policy for NKR and North Korea.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare Studies
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.189-224
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• 2010

Nowadays Korean society has a fast growing population of North Korean immigrant youth. Especially, North Korean immigrant youth, who are discontinuing formal education, experience difficulties in social exclusion and adaptation. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to understand the experiences of adaptation and social support of North Korean immigrant youth discontinuing formal education, and to seek affirmative supporting plans and solutions for their adaptation. The methodology utilized for this study was a case study research. On the basis of the results and categorization, 'a network between overall categories and of early adaptation' was derived. The major findings of this study are summarized as follows. First, the participants of this study experienced major difficulties during 'economical adaptation', and their economical adaptation was strongly interrelated with their 'educational adaptation'. The discontinuing of their education resulting from their fleeing period caused 'academic differential and age disparity.' Thus they could not enroll in the formal education system, and their insufficient educational background resulted in low wages and overwork due to manual labor jobs. Second, participants recognized 'interpersonal relations' as the most essential factor in adaptation, and 'social support' from the interpersonal relations played an important role in adaptation to and comfort in Korean society. 'Interactions with South Koreans' was recognized as a significant resource for gaining informational and appraisal support, but was not activated satisfactorily. On the other hand, interaction with North Korean immigrants was avoided by the reason that 'there's nothing to learn', however emotional support from North Korean immigrants of close relationship played an important role in participants' adaptation, especially in all aspects of psychological adaptation. Third, participants experienced a lot of difficulties and stresses in their 'physical health and psychological adaptation'. Their chronic diseases worsened by remaining untreated, and female perceived symptoms were observed more often than in male. Meanwhile, excessive 'stresses' from the unfamiliar environment of South Korea negatively affected their psychological adaptation. However, they were satisfied with sense of liberty and security from living in a democratic society.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.313-322
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• 2019

This study poses a question on whether the Jangmadang Generation, which has been the focus of the sociological interest, can form an actual generation by transcending the social classes, status of students, ethnicity, and gender, etc. Therefore, in this study, the author compared the consciousness of the Jangmadang Generation in terms of politics, education, society, compliance with law, and education with their preceding generations. The data used in this study were gathered from the North Korean defectors who defected within the past five years over the period from November to December 2016. A total of 200 questionnaires were used for data analysis, which was conducted using SPSS 20.0, in order to show differences between groups and perform frequency analysis. The analysis results showed that the consciousness of the Jangmadang Generation in politics, society, compliance, and education was lower, while the economic consciousness was significantly higher compared to earlier generations. As their objective generational status, the Jangmadang Generation had experienced the 'March of Ordeal' and 'Collapse of Public Education' while they were still teenagers. Such a difference in their generational status influenced the formation of different consciousness as a generation compared to the earlier generations. Compared to the earlier generations who received 'proper public education,' the Jangmadang Generation, who did not receive 'decent public education' shows a generally lower level of consciousness compared to the earlier generations. As such, the Jangmadang Generation has the potential to form a separate generation with a different generation consciousness from that of earlier generations.

• Communications of Mathematical Education
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.455-470
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• 2019

The purpose of this study is to investigate of the North Korean adolescents defectors' mathematics learning. We have investgated the characteristics of the North Korean adolescents defectors' mathematics learning states and their difficulties in mathematics learning. As a result, the affective domain of the North Korean adolescents defectors was less confident, worthy, and motivated to learn than the South Korean students. The abandonment rate of the North Korean adolescents defectors was higher than that of the South Korean students. According to the results of the survey, the North Korean adolescents defectors who attended elementary school in Korea compared to the births of the North Koreans and other countries had higher interest and desire for learning. Especially, the result showed that the difficulty of learning the mathematics of the North Korean defectors was the linguistic factor.

• The Journal of Korean Academic Society of Nursing Education
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.58-68
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• 2019

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to develop a program to improve the cultural competence of nursing students related to North Korean defectors and to investigate the effectiveness of the program. Methods: There were 36 nursing students in the experimental group and 30 in the control group, who were recruited from a university in I-city, Korea. A Chi-square, t-test, and ANOVA with the SPSS/Win 21.0 program were used to analyze the data. Results: After the intervention, the experimental group showed a statistically significant increase in the total score for multicultural awareness toward North Korean defectors over the control group (t=0.85, p=.026). Scores for cognitive area (t=0.89; p=.037), ritual area (t=-0.10, p=.915), and action area (t=1.18, p=.031) increased, but the conscious area score was not statistically significant. The experimental group showed a statistically significant increase in the total score for multi-cultural efficacy for North Korean refugees (t=0.36, p=.030). Scores for cognitive area (t=0.63; p=.029), working area (t=0.05, p=.955), and emotional area (t=0.79 and p=030) increased, but the working area score was not statistically significant. Conclusion: It was found that the program to promote multicultural efficacy related to North Korean defectors applied in this study was effective in enhancing multicultural awareness and efficacy of nursing students.