• International Journal of Advanced Culture Technology
• /
• v.8 no.3
• /
• pp.73-83
• /
• 2020

In this study, the stress and experience of overcoming stress by on-site missionaries who rescue North Korean defectors was investigated in depth through a phenomenological approach. To this end, 7 missionaries with more than 5 years of experience in North Korean missionary mission were selected, and in-depth interviews and written interviews were conducted once. The collected data were analyzed through the phenomenological research methods of Giorgi and Colaizzi. The results were categorized into 'calling and obedience', 'mission and stress', 'anxiety situation and stress', 'stress situation and frustration', 'stress experience and psychological change', 'self insight and overcoming stress', 'resolution and recovery of stress', and 'new determination and rededication'. By researching and analyzing the stress and stress experience of the missionaries who rescue North Korean defectors in the field, this study has significance for helping missionaries continue to help them through managing and overcoming their stress.

• Journal of the Korea Society of Computer and Information
• /
• v.23 no.1
• /
• pp.117-122
• /
• 2018

This study aims to search for policy strategies for settlement of North Korean defectors in Korean society, develop strategies based on the results and present their implications. For the purposes, this study set up a cause and effect model referring to previous bibliographical and statistical data. The results are presented as follows: First, to overcome anxiety of exposure in the defectors, personal information should be protected. Second, their psychological problems should be solved and they should be emotionally stable for better adaptation to Korean society. Third, keeping in mind that North Korean defectors are Korean people, the issue of nationality should be institutionally managed. Fourth, as one of difficulties they have is economic problems, practical support measures should be developed to solve them. Fifth, the federal government and local governments should be active in changing their recognition on them and provide the Korean community education for citizens to resolve cultural differences.

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

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
• /
• v.15 no.12
• /
• pp.204-211
• /
• 2015

This study made fundamental approaches on the significance of social enterprises on minority protection policies. In particular, it offered discussions focused on the relationship between social enterprises and North Korean defectors which greatly affect minority policies. Study results can be summed up as follows. First, the greatest difficulties for North Korean defectors in their adjustment to Korean society are economic activities and a sense of social differences and social enterprises are a policy which can resolve these problems in the most effective way. Second, existing social enterprises were excessively run by the central government and they were support models which lacked creativity and development. To resolve such problems, a lesson was learned that these must change into policy models with local coproduction. Third, a lesson was learned that social enterprises offer more than simple economic activity, offering the proper functions of society, culture, living, and language, and thus the participation of North Korean defectors in social enterprises should be made mandatory in certain sectors. Such research results will contribute to theoretically explaining the relationship between North Korean defectors and social enterprises as minority policies.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
• /
• v.29 no.4
• /
• pp.488-498
• /
• 2018

Purpose: This study was conducted to identify the influence of trauma experiences and social adjustment on health-related quality of life in North Korean defectors. Methods: The subjects were 117 North Korean defectors living in B and Y city. The data were collected from September 1 to September 20, 2014, and analyzed by the SPSS/WIN 18.0 program. Results: Significant differences were found in the health-related quality of life with respect to the subjects' education, marriage status, types of dwelling, family types, duration of residence in South Korea, jobs in South Korea and in North Korea, families left in North Korea or other surrounding countries, and subjective health status. Health-related quality of life is negatively related to trauma experiences during escape from North Korea and during their life in South Korea. Health-related quality of life positively is related to social adjustment. The meaningful variables which influenced the subjects'health-related quality include social adjustment, job in South Korea, job in North Korea, current family structure, and trauma experiences in South Korea. Total explanatory power of these factors for health-related quality in North Korean Defectors is 43.0% and social adjustment is the most influential factor. Conclusion: Therefore, in order to enhance health-related quality of life in North Korean defectors, it is necessary for them to increase social adjustment and decrease trauma experiences. In addition, methods are needed to provide job opportunities, better education and family services for North Korean defectors.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
• /
• v.20 no.3
• /
• pp.125-138
• /
• 2019

In this study, we examined how the self-efficacies of North Korean defectors affect their adaptation to South Korean social culture. To this end, 209 North Korean defectors living in Seoul, Incheon, Wonju, or Ansan were surveyed. The results obtained showed shorter residence in South Korea and age were associated with greater fear of South Korean society and awareness of language and cultural differences. On the other hand, age and duration of residence were not found to affect relations between social adaptation and perceptions of low social status, discrimination, or prejudice by defectors, which suggests defectors often live in South Korea for a considerable time without overcoming perceptions of discrimination or prejudice. The factor that most influenced adaptation to social culture was self-efficacy, which affected not only socio-cultural adaptation but also self-sufficiency and the ability to promote oneself, which is essential for economic adaptation in South Korean society.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
• /
• v.21 no.5
• /
• pp.367-375
• /
• 2021

It is effective personally and nationally that dental professionals provide oral health education to North Korean defectors. This study aims to examine literature on oral health education for North Korean defectors. The method of this study is a scoping review, which is a method for qualitatively reviewing and reinterpreting previous studies with the literature review method. There were differences in age and period of settling in South Korea among the study participants of the literature. It be divided into a study that evaluated the annual oral health education experience rate, and a study that applied an educational program and evaluated its effectiveness. It showed positive results in all literature for various effects evaluation variables such as dental health, periodontal health, and oral health knowledge. This study is significant in that it sought the direction of development of oral health education for North Korean defectors. It is suggested when planning oral health education for North Korean defectors, it is necessary to establish a differentiated approach strategy in consideration of oral health gaps, cultural differences such as language, psychological characteristics according to the settling period in South Korea, and age.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
• /
• v.21 no.7
• /
• pp.357-369
• /
• 2020

This study examined the influential relationship between self-differentiation, interpersonal relationships, and social support of adolescent North Korean defectors as well as the mediating effects of social support in the relationship between self-differentiation and interpersonal relationships. For this study, the participants were selected among student North Korean defectors aged between 9 and 24 years. With these participants, a survey was conducted from November 4 to December 14, 2019. Two hundred eighteen questionnaires were used in the analyses, which were conducted with SPSS 23.0 and AMOS 23.0. The analyses yielded the following findings. The self-differentiation of the adolescent North Korean defectors had a positive impact on interpersonal relationships. The self-differentiation of adolescent North Korean defectors had a positive impact on social support, and the social support of adolescent North Korean defectors had a positive impact on interpersonal relationships. In the relationship between self-differentiation of adolescent North Korean defectors and their interpersonal relationship, social support had a mediating effect. This study showed that by improving the level of social support and self-differentiation of adolescent North Korean defectors, it would be possible to improve their interpersonal relationship issues.

• Korean Journal of Culture and Social Issue
• /
• v.12 no.3
• /
• pp.49-68
• /
• 2006

The present study was attempted to compare duality in value structure and judgment system between youth, adults and North Korean defectors. A questionnaire was administered to 150 college students(Men: 89, Women: 61), 155 adults(Men: 80, Women: 75) and 80 North Korean defectors(Men: 39, Women: 41). Participants rated their values, behavior and South Korean behavior (or North Korean behavior for North Korean defectors) as a whole both on the 7 dimensions relevant to characteristics indigenous to Korean society and on their opposite 7 dimensions characteristic of Western culture. Results indicated that defectors marked the highest score on the traditional value dimensions, and yet youth ranked the first for the western value systems. Also, duality in value systems was the most severe for the defectors. In relation to dual judgement system in behavior, both young and old generation judged Korean behavior more negatively than their own. This was also the case for the North Korean defectors. Those findings were discussed in terms of cultural changes in Korean society.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
• /
• v.18 no.11
• /
• pp.683-689
• /
• 2017

Given that the ratio of adolescents among North Korean refugees is increasing, it is the right time to study the present situation of juvenile North Korean defectors. North Korean adolescents tend to find themselves in an uncomfortable situation as they experience unfamiliar lives in South Korea, and act passively in various situations. A proper resolution of such problems in this situation will help them adapt smoothly to South Korean society. This study investigates the relationship between social support, self-esteem, and problem-solving abilities of North Korean adolescent refugees based on a survey on 213 North Korean teens which was performed for 24 days beginning on June 14 2017. The study results show that emotional, material, informational, and evaluative support for North Korean adolescent defectors, which is a type of social support, had a positive effect on their self-esteem, and self-esteem in turn had a positive effect on their problem solving ability. In addition, self-esteem had a mediating effect on the relationship between the four types of social support and problem solving ability of North Korean adolescent defectors. This study suggested a practical plan to improve the problem solving ability of North Korean adolescent defectors for their smooth adaptation to South Korean society, through social support and improved self-esteem of North Korean adolescents, such as program development or self - development training.