• Journal of Korean Public Health Nursing
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.221-232
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• 2011

Purpose: The study sought to provide basic information for North Korean defectors (Sae-Tu-Min) by studying the quality of life(QoL) based on their general characteristics and health problems. Methods: The targeted subjects were 1400 North Korean settlers who were receiving settlement service by Korean National Red Cross after finishing their training at Hanawon in 2005. The data was collected from August to October in 2007. The QoL was assessed by Medical Outcomes Study Short Form-36. Collected data were analyzed by ANOVA and t-test with SPSS win 15.0 program. Result: The majority of the 466 subjects were female(77.9%). The average age was 36.8 years, 52.8% lived alone, and 64.0% were unemployed. The average QoL score of the group was $62.4{\pm}18.4$, which was markedly lower in terms of social, physical and mental health compared to the scores of immigrants to South Korea from other countries. The score was the highest for physical ability and the lowest for general health. Influential socio-demographic factors to QoL were gender, age, education, religion, annual salary, occupation, and life insurance. Employed in the subject group showed higher level of QoL on eight categories than unemployed. Concerning health problems that detracted from QoL, 18.5% of the subjects were aware they suffered from anemia and 8.8% of them recognized they suffered from attention deficits. Conclusion: The health conditions of the North Korean settlers had improved since they settled in South Korea, but their QoL was lower than other immigrants. Various programs to maintain and promote the health of North Korean settlers would be useful.

• Journal of Korean Library and Information Science Society
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.325-356
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• 2006

This study deals with information poverty and information service for information welfare of North Korean refugees. On the basis of the data collected and analyzed, it was concluded that North Korean refugees were situated at information poverty, as compared to the situation of South Koreans. It was also found out that their information poverty was caused by the inferiority of their information literary and information environment. In conclusion, this study made some suggestions for overcoming the information poverty and promoting the information welfare of North Korean refugees.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Library and Information Science
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.121-149
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• 2006

In recent days North Korean refugees. who hope to move into and settle in South Korea, have been rapidly increasing. However their adaptation to South Korea is reported to have not been so much successful as they expected. Considering such situations, this study attempts to investigate their information needs and behavior. North Korean refugees have various and strong information needs for settlement and daily life. The strongest were information needs related to economic Problem, specifically job and business related information needs. It was followed by information needs related to social welfare, health and security child care and education, and North Korean situation In order to meet their information needs. North Korean refugees were heavily dependent on informal interpersonal information sources such as their family members. friends. and their own neighborhoods. as compared to such formal interpersonal information sources as Public officers. social welfare agents, and NGOs members. Meanwhile. their usage of mass media such as TV. newspapers, and internet as information sources was also heavy However the overall information environment surrounding them appeared to be relatively inferior to that of average South Koreans.

• Journal of Korean Library and Information Science Society
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.193-219
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• 2006

This study analyzes 47 articles dealing with refugees in library and information science field. The subjects of these articles are such various as the cases of refugee service in libraries and information centers, the library service guidance for refugees, information resources of refugees and forced migration study, and information need and Information seeking behavior of refugees. However, the research of this area has such limitations and weakness as the small scale of articles about refugees, the scarcity of professional researchers, the deficient studies concentrating refugees directly, and the unprepared research methods. Tn particular, there was no article about refugee which was produced by the library and information science field in South Korea. Urgently needed is the research of information needs and information seeking behavior of North Korean refugees considering the recent influx of North Korean refugee into South Korea.