• Child Health Nursing Research
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.440-448
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• 2017

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of oral health education on oral health knowledge, oral health behavior, and oral hygiene status of children from North Korea. Methods: Participants were 32 North Korean children defectors (15 in the education group, 17 in the control group). The oral health education program, including theoretical training and toothbrush training, was done once a week for 4 weeks. Effects of the education program were assessed for oral health knowledge, oral health behavior, and oral hygiene status at pretest, 0, and 4 weeks after the intervention. Data were analyzed using repeated measures ANCOVA with the SAS program. Results: Children in the education group showed increased oral health knowledge and behavior over time compared to the control group and an improvement in oral hygiene status including significantly decreased S-PHP and Snyder test for oral micro-organism. Conclusion: Results indicate that oral health education is effective in improving oral health knowledge, oral health behavior and oral hygiene status. These improvements could lead to a better quality of life for North Korean children defectors.

• 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.

• Journal of the Korea Convergence Society
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• v.8 no.10
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• pp.385-395
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• 2017

This qualitative research is conducted to explore the balancing experience of work and child care of North Korean female defectors. Five of North Korean female defectors from double income family in their 40's were selected and interviewed. The interview data were analyzed by a phenomenological qualitative method. The five categories were derived from the data and included as follows: , , , , . Based on the results of the research the suggestions for practical services, such as parenting education, career path development programs and policies with gender perspective were made. Limitations of the research and further research recommendations were suggested as well.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Information and Commucation Sciences Conference
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• 2018.05a
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• pp.319-322
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• 2018

Unplugged computing, the teaching and learning method, helps you learn the principles and concepts of computer science, and its advantage is that even elementary school students can easily understand it. Most of the North Korean Defector specialized alternative schools in the country have the purpose of having their students pass the qualification exam and be admitted to college. Therefore, the data, or information courses, are comprised of simple typing practices and basic office program handling. The purpose of the present study is to offer a teaching plan for these North Korean refugee adolescents, and we had assessed the courses in terms of its effectivity through a verification process. As a result, during the stage where we analyzed the answers from surveys, that they considered suggested curriculum for these specialized North Korean refugee alternative school was appropriate and have the potential to increase the student's satisfaction and interest.

• Korean Journal of Family Social Work
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• no.53
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• pp.79-115
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• 2016

The purpose of this study is to understand the women's experiences of negative perception, discrimination and 'ethnicized stigma' in South Korea. For this purpose, data were collected through in-depth interviews from 8 women escaped from North Korea and 4 professionals. The findings of this study are as follows: Almost of them experienced negative perception and discrimination caused by language, pronunciation intonation, and differences of ways to express their emotions. And they experienced the disapproval as the native perception and confusion of ethnic identity. Several participants in this study try to build or organize their communities to give emotional and instrumental support for them. However, in these processes, they experience emotional conflicts and crises feelings of disorganization of their communities because of they didn't have experience to involve communities, and didn't have ideas of membership and their roles. And they were learned to criticize with each other in North Korea. They worry about their families' safety in North Korea. For this reason, they can't have trustful personal relationships among Koreans including people escaped from North Korea in South Korea. They want to participate in Korean's community activities, and learn to adjust to everyday lives in South Korea. In conclusion, based upon the outcomes of this study, it is expected that any practical implications or solutions for North Korean defector's welfare would be suggested.

• 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.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.636-652
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• 2018

This study is about applying the concept of moral injury in reinterpreting and understanding the experience of female North Korean refugees who have experienced psychological trauma and are struggling with adjusting in their everyday lives. The database KISS and DBpia were used to search for academic peer-reviewed articles published before August 13th in 2017, using 'female or women North Korean,' 'female or women relocated North Korean,' and 'female or women North Korean defector' as keywords. In total 51 studies were finally selected for content analysis and the result were the following. First, listing from the most often occurring study topic to the least occurring topic in order: post-defection adjustment related, mothering experience, experience of North Korean regime and Korean War, work or job or employment related, recovering from psychological trauma as well as growth and resilience related, experiences in China, trauma and psychological difficulties, anxiety treatment process and effects. Second, words related to psychological aspect of moral injury appeared 260 times in 51 selected studies, changes in the existential belief appeared 82 times, cognitive aspects of moral injury appeared 71 times, and behavioral aspects 21 times. Third, two main contexts emerged to be the antecedent that led to moral injury and they were 'identity denial' and 'dismantled family.' In attempts to find opposite cases or stories where aspects of moral injury were not found despite the existence of its antecedents and it was 'identity restructuring.' Based on the finding, practice implications that could help female North Korean refugees prevent or recover from moral injury were suggested.

• Informatization Policy
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.67-83
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• 2018

This study explores how social media influences individual's social development and well-being. Social media is discussed as an effective tool when individuals lacking social and psychological resources are trying to expand their social networks. This study focuses on the social media use of North Korean defectors, who, in general, have closed social media networks in the South Korean society. This study tries to analyze empirically the effect of social media use on North Korean defectors' satisfaction with our society. In particular, this study focuses on how the use of social media influences satisfaction with their life in South Korea at different levels of their emotional states. This study explores that the relationship between social media and satisfaction with their life in South Korea varies based upon the degree of self-esteem and anxiety. This study expects that social media might provide greater benefits for those who are experiencing low self-esteem and high anxiety. In addition, this study conducts the same analysis for the general public and then compares its results with the survey on North Korean defectors. According to the results of North Korean defectors' survey, the impact of social media use on satisfaction with their life in South Korea was greater for those with high anxiety than for those with low anxiety. Meanwhile, the impact was greater for those with high self-esteem than for those with low self-esteem.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.60-74
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• 2016

There are increasing numbers of North Korean defectors. Many of them enter universities and major in social welfare in order to get jobs. As a required course, they must participate in field practicum and many difficulties are expected. This study aims to examine the North Korean defectors' practicum experience in specific, and to support more effectively in the field work education. To achieve this purpose, female North Korean defectors who go to G cyber university and have finished their field practicums, were interviewed in an in-depth interview. The data were analyzed with the open coding through the constant comparison method as Grounded theory's initial analysis. As the result, the following was found: 49 concepts, 18 sub-categories, and 7 categories. The categories include difficulties in the process of preparation for and beginning with various obstacles; confusion due to the differences between the North Korean and South Korean culture; tasks and functions that were not expected, personal relationships which were burdensome to them; feeling a lack of professional competence; inevitable environmental circumstances, and personal problems. Based on the results, suggestions for better support in field practice education in the side of universities, community agencies, individual students and the general society were addressed.

• Korean journal of communication and information
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• v.60
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• pp.104-124
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• 2012

The purpose of this study is to explore how North Korean woman defectors' memories of their past lives are represented in Korean television talk show, (Channel A, 2011~) and its social implications. In order to carry out this task, this study first discusses the emergence of the concept of 'memory' in its relations with 'collective memory', 'cultural memory' and 'history', and its social appropriation in media such as television. And, the ideological aspects of the recent trend of television talk show that deals with people's private memories were also discussed. The study used the method of structural narrative analysis. The findings are the following. First of all, North Korean woman defectors' memories in collide with the dominant public memories in South Korea. In any case, it has been found that the show tended to make North Korea and their defectors as exotic 'others' and thereby reinforce the existing public memory. After all, this study argues that the representation of the defectors' memories in the talk show only results in stressing the melodramatic narrative emotionally packaged with 'laughing' and 'crying' without any sincere consideration of them.