• Journal of the Korean Home Economics Association
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• v.41 no.8
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• pp.1-17
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• 2003

The purpose of this study is to understand North Korean female defectors' experiences in China. 13 female defectors were interviewed. Before they extricated from North Korea, they expected to make money to survive with their family in North Korea. But it couldn't be done because they didn't have legal status in China. They were at the risk of exposing to traffickers in females and of repatriation to North Korea. Surviving in China, they realized they were “Chosun(North Korean) females”; it meant they were in extremely poor and were sold by traffickers. It made them put to shame and be hurt their pride as a Chosun national identity. On the other hand, they realized they had narrow experiences and a limited outlook on international issues. They made themselves accustomed to freedom from the Chinese Revolution ; some of them experienced achievement. In general, they were satisfied with physical needs, but lacks of safety and worth in life. Even though, they couldn't return to North Korea because they were afraid of being punished by their government, and of striking their family a fatal blow in their successful lives of the society.

• Journal of the Korean Home Economics Association
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• v.41 no.12
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• pp.229-243
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• 2003

The purpose of this study is to understand North Korean female defectors' survival strategies in China. In this research, 13 female defectors in China were interviewed. There seemed to be 6 survival strategies in the interview. They disguised themselves as if they were Chosunjok；they tried to wear fashionable clothes, to mimic Chosunjok dialect, to speak mingling Chinese words with Korean words, and to get counterfeit ID cards. They suppressed themselves from showing their angers or resentment against Chinese who looked down on them due to their illegal status, but they would seek chances to revenge on them in the future. They have survived by gelling married to Chinese, but they were reluctant to have a baby because it was not for sure what their future lives are going to be like. They were alert against people around them all the time, especially against North Korean defectors, and were conscious of their competitive relationship among themselves. Finally, some of them appeared to seek routes to immigrate to South Korea, but others who didn't yet make up their minds to immigrate to South Korea had vague anticipations of North and South Koreas to be reunified.