• Korean Journal of Social Welfare
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• v.64 no.4
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• pp.89-111
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• 2012

Since the U.S. government officially accepted North Korean(NK) as refugees starting in 2006, about 120 North Koreans have come to and been living in the United States. However, little is known in regard to what the North Korean refugees need for a qualify life. This study aims to explore the essential experiences of North Korean defectors who have settled in the United States after escaping North Korea. Research inquiries are why North Korean refugees have chosen the United States for their settlement, and how they are living in the United States. Data were collected from in-depth interviews with eight NK refugees. For data analysis, grounded theory approach by Strauss and Corbin(1998) was employed. The data analysis identified the central phenomenon, protective and risk factors, and core actions and consequences of NK refugees' adjustment in the U.S. The central phenomenon was "voluntary choose to come to the U.S." The core action and consequences in the process of their adjustment were 'searching for the meaning of life,' and 'achieving acculturation.' The findings may provide deeper understanding on the situation of North Korean refugees in the U.S. and implications for how to help them adjust well in the society.

• Korean Journal of Culture and Social Issue
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.41-66
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• 2005

The goal of this study was to investigate factors influencing North Korea defectors's psychological alienation by comparing South Koreans and North Korean defectors in the sense of values, lifestyles, attribution styles and stereotypes. To pursue this goal, a questionnaire was distributed to 143 South Koreans and 99 North Korean defectors, According to results, in comparison with South Koreans, North Korean defectors placed more values on 'nation' than 'individual or family', on the 'support of parents' than 'a great success', In the lifestyles, the North Korean defectors than South Koreans put higher significance in 'traditional familism', 'traditional collectivism', 'social consciousness', and 'traditional hierarchy'. As for stereotypes, South Korean people considered the North Korean defectors defiant, critical, egoistic, and competitive people. Also, South Koreans perceived North Korean defectors as more negatively than North Korean defectors did themselves. In case of alienation, North Korean defectors reported that their workplace was the most common place where they were alienated. As a result of investigating factors investigating the North Korean defectors' alienation, it showed that 'affluent life' in their values, 'cultural openness' in the lifestyles, and 'inside attribution' in the attribution styles were critical. Finally, it discussed limitations of the present study and the research required in the future.

• Korea and Global Affairs
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• v.1 no.2
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• pp.85-108
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• 2017

This study speculated on a continuous issue of North Korean defectors and strategies to improve North Korean human rights. North Korean defectors have immigrated to South Korea continuously since the late 1990s. Their immigration was motivated by low financial status in the harsh marching period of North Korea until the mid-1990s. However, the defection motives changed like this: planned defection, family-based group defection and future-oriented defection. The North Korean defectors had had severe human rights abuses as illegal immigrants in the blind spots of human rights of China and the third nations until they were admitted to South Korea after defection. Although South Korea tried to help them consistently both in public and private ways, it was not satisfactory. Therefore, the government and private sectors should pay more consistent attention to the human rights issue. As the National Assembly passed the North Korean Human Rights Act on March 2016, the government should recognize the issue of North Korean defectors as that of universal value and a national issue, and cooperate each other nationally and internationally in diverse ways.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.18 no.9
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• pp.63-70
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• 2020

This study examines whether citizen's satisfaction with police response to their victimization has an effect on the trust in the police. The data (N = 214) were collected from the North Koreans refugees residing in South Korea. One key finding shows that the North Koreans who were dissatisfied with policemen's response to their crime victimization cases report lower trust in the South Korean police. Also, the people who had ever reported a crime to the police increase their trust in the police. However, sex, education experience, car ownership, household victimization preventive measures, crime trends decrease their trust in the police. The implications and limitations were discussed for the future research.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.44 no.2
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• pp.162-170
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• 2011

We tested the hypothesis that an improved nutritional environment increases the size of stature sexual dimorphism (SSD) by comparing mean height changes in North and South Korean adults. For the first round of sampling, those North Korean refugees who had reached the age of 20 years before leaving North Korea were selected for the study. Then, two birth-year cohorts born between 1955 and 1959 and between 1980 and 1984 were finally selected for the analysis (383 males and 529 females). North Korean refugee mean height data were compared to the mean height of the comparable South Korean population derived from 2004 Korean size results (373 males and 429 females). The results of the analysis showed that there was no increase in mean height among the refugees, either in males or females, between the two birth-year cohorts. As a result, no change in SSD was observed between the two birth-year cohorts. In contrast, South Koreans showed a remarkable increase in height, with males having a greater increase during the corresponding 25 years. Consequently, South Korean SSD increased significantly with time. These results support the hypothesis that improved nutritional quality increases SSD.

• Korean Journal of Culture and Social Issue
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.61-81
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• 2004

The purpose of this study was to investigate effects of North Korea defectors' living experiences in South Korea on their self-perceptions and perceptions of South Korea. For this purpose, a questionnaire was distributed to 66 defectors with no living experiences at all and 99 defectors with living experiences of an average of 2.7 years in South Korea. They were asked to rate their own as well as South Koreans' values, personality, attitudes toward sexual misbehavior, gender stereotypes. Also, they evaluated the society of South Korea and its political control. The results indicated that those defectors with living experiences tended to perceive more negatively their own and South Koreans as well, and yet that they were less negative for sexual misbehavior and weaker for gender stereotypes. Also, results suggested that living experiences led defectors to perceive South Korea in a more negative way. Those findings were discussed in terms of changes in culture.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.567-584
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• 2017

This study investigated formats and structure of meanings for the TV talk shows with North Korean defectors. The authors selected of Channel A and of TV Chosun as research subjects. As results of this study, it was found that the former dealt with heavy issues about North Korea, expressed positive perspectives on North Korea and fantasic expectations about South Korea, and produced superior dicourse of South Korea. On the other hand, the latter one dealt with light and sensational items about North Korea, employed dialogues about critics and disappointments on South Korea, and produced problematic discourse about South Korea. The former produced a kind of converged discourse structure to create superior ideology of South Korea, while the latter produced a kind of dichotomous discourse structure to create frustrating ideology. In short, through this study, it turned out that North Korean defectors suffered from their confused identities, unclear self identities, and minority positions in the South Korean society.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare
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• v.47
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• pp.243-271
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• 2001

This study examines family relationship among North Korean migrant families in early adaptation (approximately, up to $5{\sim}6$ years after arrival in the South). Family cohesion, communication, power relationship, and conflicts and domestic violence among family members were examined by the perceptions of 67 male and female householders and their spouses. In the four areas of family relationship, the subjects have quite positive perceptions and shows no critically significant difference on the perceptions between before and after arrival. However, positive perception on family relationship gradually decreases as the length of time of in the South increases with linear or nonlinear patterns according to subcategories of family relationship. These findings suggest several social work practice implications in resettlement assistance for the North Korean migrant families.

• 한국사회복지학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2004.10a
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• pp.507-532
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• 2004

Due to the increasing concerns with the North Korean defectors, the researches have been increased.. However when compared with other areas, the researches about the North Korean defectors are rare. The sample size of this study is 171, which makes it possible to do statistical inferences. This study examines the adjustment stress and the effect of social support on the adaptation. As a demographic factors, gender, age and education are controlled. The context factors-the period of the stay in the third place, the period of residence and the existence of the education in Korea- are used as control variables. The research results show that the jobless is an important stressor. The structural social support affects the adjustment of stress as a whole and not individually. Among functional social support, the emotional social support is an important factor of adaptation, but the effect of structural social support is the opposite. Therefore, the adequacy of social support must be considered.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare
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• v.57 no.1
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• pp.193-217
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• 2005

Due to the increasing concerns with the North Korean defectors, the researches have been increased. When it is compared with other areas, the researches about the North Korean defectors are rare. The sample size of this study is 164, which makes it possible to do statistical inferences. As statistical methods, t-test, ANOVA and hierarchical multiple regressions are used. This study examines the effect of the adjustment stress and the social support on the depressive symptoms. Demographic factors such as gender, age and education are controlled. The context factors-the period of the stay in the third place, the period of residence and the existence of the education in Korea- are used as control variables. The research results show that the level of social participation of the women is higher than that of men. Also, there are differences of the functional social support by the age group. The research result indicates the education of South Korea is an important factor to reduce the depressive symptoms. The research result also shows that the jobless is an important stressor. Among structural social support, the member of religious or social group is an important factor for reducing depressive symptoms. Among functional social support, the emotional social support is an important factor of adaptation, but the effect of instrumental social support is the opposite. Therefore, the adequacy of social support in a specific situation must be considered.