• Journal of the Korean Society for information Management
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• v.39 no.3
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• pp.241-261
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• 2022

The present study aims to investigate the effects of information poverty on North Korean refugees' social adaptation to South Korea based on Chatman's Theory of Information Poverty (1996). Based on the Theory of Information Poverty, information poverty consists of four variables: Secrecy, Deception, Risk-taking, and information acceptance in response to situational relevance. And based on the previous studies, adaptation to South Korean life is divided into social adaptation and psychological adaptation. From August 4 to August 30, 2021, after approval by the IRB through the North Korean refugee support organization , surveys were conducted with North Korean refugees who had lived in South Korea for at least one year and were aged 19 or older. The 100 collected valid data were analyzed using frequency analysis, reliability analysis, correlation analysis, and multiple linear regression analysis. Findings of the study indicated that information poverty had significant effects on North Korean refugees' social and psychological adaptation. In particular, the "deception" variable had negative effects on social and psychological adaptation. The study has theoretical implications that it explains North Korean refugees' adaptation to South Korea based on Theory of Information Poverty by defining them as information poor. Above all, it attempts a quantitative approach through operationalization of key concepts unlike previous studies that were conducted with qualitative approaches.

• Korean Journal of Culture and Social Issue
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.41-61
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• 2008

This study was performed to investigate the North Korean defectors's depression through the CES-D and a projective test simultaneously. So 40 North Korean defectors and 40 South Koreans participated in this study. The results are the following. First, the North Korean defectors demonstrated more higher CES-D scores than the South Koreans, while there were not significant differences in the Rorschach depression-related indexes, DEPI, CDI, S-CON between two groups. Second, at the analysis of the sex difference effect, women among the North Korean defectors showed the most high CDI index scores. In addition, we analyzed the mean differences between two groups for morbid content, shading response, achromatic response, human movement response, form dimension response, Lamda, and the number of total response. However, there are not significant differences between two groups for those variables, except for form dimension(FD) response. It suggested the probability that the North Korean women defectors could experience more psychological distress underlyingly than the North Korean men defectors. Third, most importantly, the correlation between CES-D and DEPI in the Rorschach test was significantly different in the two groups(the North Korean defectors and the South Koreans). In conclusion, the self-report of the North Korean defectors on depression could be exaggerated. So we should be cautious to interpret the self report results of the North Korean defectors.

• Korean Journal of Culture and Social Issue
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.79-101
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• 2004

This study is performed to understand and resolve psychologically the issue of North Korea-South Korea's cultural heterogeneity which is treated importantly in unification debates. We collected data from 181 North Korea Defectors through survey, and found out that the North Korea Defectors perceived cultural heterogeneity so much especially at the early settlement stage. However, this fact itself didn't give a serious suggestion, What is significant was how much South Korean cultural orientation they had as a coping strategy. When they coped with South Korean cultural orientation, they showed high level of self-efficacy, and furthermore they demonstrated high level of psychological adaptation. By the way, this psychological adaptation level was not significantly correlated with positive index such as life satisfaction, but correlated with negative index such as depression. That is, low self-efficacy group showed high level of depression and 43% of them could be classified as a depression-symptom group. Thus, we can conclude that it is rather helpful for the North Korean Defectors to have South Korean cultural orientation for overcoming North Korea-South Korea's cultural heterogeneity, and coping strategy is more important than cultural heterogeneity itself.

• Korean Journal of Culture and Social Issue
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.147-163
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• 2004

The present research investigated and compared stress coping strategies of North Korean refugees with those of South Koreans in the purpose to predict and prepare psychological conflicts expected to occur during the Korean reunification. Adapted from Han, Hur, Chae, and Kim(2001), North Korean refugees recorded their coping strategies that they would employ in stressful situations varying in term of three aspects of stress causes - 2(locus: internal/external) × 2(stability: temporal/enduring) × 2(context: individual/interpersonal) - and the responses were classified in terms of three dimensions(active/passive, approach/avoidance, cognitive/affective/behavioral). In the temporal stress situations, adaptive North Korean refugees preferred active over passive, approaching over avoiding, and behavioral over cognitive/affective stress coping strategies more than maladaptive North Korean refugees did. Also, in the stressful situations caused by external causes, they were more likely to take active rather than passive, approaching rather than avoiding copying. Although active copying strategies were preferred to passive ones by adaptive North Korean refugees in individual stressful situations, approaching copying strategies were preferred to avoiding ones by them in interpersonal stressful situations. These findings were found to be different from the pattern of South Korean's stress coping strategies in the same situations. In conclusion, the differences were discussed in the view of psychological integration during Korean reunification.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare Studies
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• no.39
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• pp.29-56
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• 2008

The purpose of this study was to find out correlation and predictors of posttraumatic growth of North Korean refugees in South Korea in 7years. This survey was conducted on 105 North Korean refugees in 7 years with questions on depression, anxiety, socio-demographic characteristics, personal & social variables, psychological trauma in North Korea, stress experience in South Korea. The influence of these variables was analysed. Result indicated that education in North Korea and living period in the 3rd country iwas associated with PTG. Date for escaping from North Korea, depression, acculturative stress in South Korea, hope for future, social support from South Korean, perceived satisfaction had correlation with PTG. And Date for escaping from North Korea, living period in the 3rd country, social support from South Korean, acculturative stress in South Korea predicted PTG of North Korean refugees. Finally, social political intervention and mental health service programs for North Korean refugees were discussed.

• Korean Journal of Culture and Social Issue
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.1-41
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• 2007

This study examines factors that influence delinquent behavior among Korean adolescents using longitudinal analysis. A total of 1,012 students completed a questionnaire when they were Grade 6 and 739 students completed a follow-up questionnaire when they became Grade 9. Results of multiple regression analysis indicate that the following variables predicted delinquent behavior of Grade 9 students: Bullying, previous delinquency, experience of punishment, victimization, social efficacy, and moral disengagement. The above six variables have direct and mediating influence of delinquent behavior. Relational factors also influenced delinquent behavior. Social exclusion from friends reduce social efficacy, which increases victimization and which in turn increases bullying, leading to greater delinquency. Parental rejection, social exclusion from friends and hostility from teachers increase moral disengagement, which increases bullying, leading to delinquency. Low academic achievement increases the likelihood of being punished, which increases bullying, leading to delinquency. The results indicate that moral disengagement and social efficacy are mediating factors of delinquency and negative life-events (i.e., social exclusion from friends, rejection from teachers, hostility from parents and low academic achievement) increase the likelihood that Korean adolescents will engage in delinquent behavior. Implications of the results for future research are discussed.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Computer Information Conference
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• 2018.01a
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• pp.57-58
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• 2018

본 연구에서는 북한이탈주민 남한사회 정착을 위한 정책 방안을 모색하여 정책의 기초 자료 활용과 시사점의 제공에 목적을 두고자 하였다. 이를 위해 기존의 문헌연구와 통계자료를 활용하여 인과모형을 설정하였다. 연구결과 먼저, 불안한 신변을 위해 개인의 정보 보호가 이루어 져야 한다. 둘째, 심리적 문제 해결과 이를 통한 정서적 안정이 마련되어져야 한다. 셋째, 국적에 관한 문제를 제도적으로 명확히 하여야 한다. 넷째, 경제적 문제 해결을 위한 현실적인 서비스 지원 개선책이 마련되어야 한다. 다섯째, 국가나 지방자치단체의 적극적인 인식의 개선 노력과 시민교육을 통한 문화적 차이를 해소할 수 있는 공동체 교육이 이루어져야 한다.

• Korean Journal of Culture and Social Issue
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.33-54
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• 2007

This study was performed to develop a group counseling program for the South Koreans and the North Korean defectors to identify mutual cultural characteristics and personal traits, and to acquire adaptation capacity for the other's culture and interpersonal relationship. And then we validated the effect of this group program. This program was based on the existing program even if that was not validated through research work. Actually this program was for encouraging the South Koreans and the North Korean defectors to acquire interpersonal ability through mutually dependent and cooperative work based on the equal status naturally and to adjust themselves to corresponding culture. Each session continued for 1.5 hour per week. And the sessions were done for 4 weeks. This research was analysed, and the results were compared with control group's results. The results showed that treatment group revealed significantly positive outcomes than control group. But, five participants among the North Korean defectors were dropped out in the course. So North Korean defectors' credibility got lowered.

• 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.

• Korean Journal of Culture and Social Issue
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.1-22
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• 2006

This study is performed to identify attribution styles of the North Korean Defectors more accurately. For this purpose, cartoon-form method designed to measure attributions is used and total 129 subjects including comparison group of South Koreans are participated in this research. Interestingly, the result showed that two groups had similar and different attribution styles at the same time. That is, there is a common aspect in using internal attributions more in general, but there is also a different aspect in that South Koreans used internal attribution much more. These tendencies emerged similarly at the controllable and uncontrollable attribution dimension. However, the results demonstrated that South Koreans mainly used stable attribution and the North Korean Defectors used unstable attribution at the stable and unstable attribution dimension. And, the attributional styles of both koreans appeared consistently in a variety of scenarios. Finally, there was the stronger relationship between North Korean defectors' life satisfaction and attributional styles.