• Journal of the Economic Geographical Society of Korea
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.438-457
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• 2019

The main purpose of this paper is to identify the entry types and locational determinants of North Korean workers in cross-border regions between North Korea and China. More specifically, the paper has attempted to divide the entry type of them in the regions into two; 1) entry via transactions between Chinese traders with North Korea and North Korea trade companies, and 2) entry via transactions between Korean-Chinese middlemen and North Korean trade companies. Also, it has analyzed main factors of their locational determinants in the spatial contexts of the regions. There have been changes in two perspectives in terms of the entry paths and types of them in accordance with the transformation of characteristics of United Nations sanction against North Korea from 'call-upon' to 'decide' after UN Security Council Resolution 2094 in 2013. Firstly, main agents who have dealing with North Korean trade companies which have right to dispatch North Korean workers have been changed from Chinese traders into Korean-Chinese brokers who are specialized in the introduction of North Korean workers with one-stop service from visa administrative to labor managements. Secondly, there has been a transfer of North Korean workers in the regions from formal to informal workers who has been admitted into China with a short stay or a tourist visa, and then remained illegally to be employed in China. Therefore, as demands on service which is able to guarantee the security of North Korean informal workers and their managements have increased, Korean-Chinese brokers have been stimulated in the regions after the operation of real international sanctions against overseas North Korean workers. In addition, the main factors of their locational determinants in cross-border regions between North Korea and China are could be analyzed in three perspectives; 1) an increase in real wages in accordance with the reform of the Chinese social insurance system after 2011, 2) the structural vulnerability of labor markets in the regions, 3) the utilization of stable and manageable workers.

• Journal of the Korean association of regional geographers
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.1-23
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• 2003

The goal of this paper is to explore and compare the situations of North Korean and Chinese labor forces in the Russian Far East (RFE). First of all, the past and present pictures of North Korean and Chinese labor forces were reviewed, and then local Russinans' views about those foreign workers were analyzed in terms of political, economic, socio-psychological and public order aspects. As a result, it turned out that both North Korean and Chinese workers were regarded as useful to the RFE from economic viewpoint, but not as beneficial to local Russians in terms of maintenance of public order. According to the political and socio-psychological views of local Russians, North Korean labor forces were much more preferable to their Chinese counterparts. This paper implies that participation of South Korea in the development of RFE via North Korea workers is significant in that local Russians are very afraid of flooding Chinese workers there.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.191-206
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• 2020

Although several studies have been conducted on unification and the life of North Korean refugees, there have been few studies comparing the characteristics of North Korean refugees with South Korean workers, in terms of human resources in business administration. By considering the limitations of these prior studies, this study analyzed whether there are differences in factors affecting organizational commitment and turnover intention through a group comparative analysis between North Korean refugees and South Korean workers. For a comparative analysis between the two groups, we recruited 145 workers from North Korea and 213 South Korea-born workers. We found the following results with a multi-group structural equation model. We confirmed the measurement homogeneity by ensuring that both groups were equally aware of the measurement tools affecting organizational commitment and turnover intentions. As a result of testing the homogeneity of measurement, we also confirmed that there was a significant difference in optimism between the two groups; optimism affects organizational commitment and among social supports, affectionate support and interaction support affect organizational commitment. Analyzing the path between the two groups, we first were able to find that optimism influenced organizational commitment for both groups, in relation to positive psychological capital. However, in terms of degree, South Korean workers were found to be strongly affected. Second, with regard to social support, we were not able to find that affectionate support and interaction support have a significant impact on organizational commitment for South Korean workers, while for North Korean refugees, we confirmed that both supports have a significant impact. Third, we were unable to find any differences between the two group, in terms of other sub-components of positive psychological capital (self-efficacy, hope, and resiliency) or the sub-components of social support (informational support, tangible support). These results suggest that companies or managers employing North Korean refugee workers need to create an organizational environment that allows them to perceive social support, especially affectionate support and interaction support.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.21 no.8
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• pp.407-416
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• 2020

North Korea's demand for infrastructure construction and maintenance is growing rapidly. On the other hand, the number of skilled workers is insufficient. Therefore, through a survey of North Korean defectors, this study analyzed the status of construction technology and the difficulties of construction workers. In addition, an attempt was made to derive an appropriate education and training program process and operation plan. As a result of the survey, the reason for the low technical level of construction workers was the lack of skills, lack of motivation to work, and the lack of training and management systems. The appropriate education and training period was 56% of the total response within one year and 36% within six months. Based on the results of this survey, the period of education and training for the rapid training of construction technical personnel in North Korea was adopted as one year. Moreover, compared to the NCS standard in South Korea, appropriate training hours were suggested, excluding training courses, such as planning and design, construction management that require specialized knowledge. Finally, the curriculum corresponding to the education and training courses and the standards for facility names and required areas for facility operation were suggested.

• Korean Journal of Family Social Work
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• no.60
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• pp.133-173
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• 2018

This paper analyzes the consistency and the discrepancy between system and practices of the old age pension(Nyunronyungeum) in North Korea. The literature review is conducted to analyze the system. Specifically, the North Korean law and North Korean dictionaries were carefully examined. The interviews with 25 North Korean refugees were conducted to grasp the exact state of the old age pension in North Korea. Major findings are as follows: the consistency between system and practices of the old age pension in North Korea is identified only certain portions of that. Beneficiaries(blue-collar workers, white-collar workers, farmers, soldiers, and employees in foreign-invested enterprises), contribution periods, earning-related schemes, the totalization of periods of coverage(workplace transitions), the absence of double benefits and early retirement pension, and the delivery system around Civic Service offices(Dong offices) are confirmed by complete consistency. Preservation age, variations in the implementation of the pension system by region, and premium of the old age pension are confirmed by partial consistency. The length of service, the labor regulation, lump-sum payment, and double dipping are confirmed by discrepancies. It's important that this study brings about a better understanding the old age pension in North Korea through various original texts of North Korea and interviews with refugees. The results of this study are expected to contribute to the policy production for the age income security system after the unification and to the spread of unification perspectives.

• Korean Institute of Interior Design Journal
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.200-207
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• 2010

The purpose of this study was to analyze the variables of the state-of-the-art office planning for the productive workplaces of the North America and to predict the adaptability in Korea. Knowledge workers have been considered as the decisive factors for the survival and development of organizations. So, open workplaces have been considered appropriate for the workplace to stimulate their informal knowledge sharing. However, the low individual productivity due to low privacy and distraction in the open workplace has been the key problem. To solve the dilemma, this study suggests that closed individual offices are best for the individual productivity and open conference area and meeting places are essential for the informal knowledge sharing. Some state-of-the-art workplaces such as just-in-time offices and hotelings can provide more space for the individual workplaces and open meeting places without excessive cost burden of organizations.

• Journal of Fisheries and Marine Sciences Education
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.121-128
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• 1992

Taking the present circumstances into account that we are approaching the realization stage of interchange and cooperation between North and South Korea through a preparatory stage, recovery of national homogeneity is an essential precondition for reunification. The important first Step is pursuing of recovery of educational homogeneity for this purpose. The authors carried out 8 general observation on the fundamental educational system with ideology, on the actual state and characteristic of educational system for industrial technicians, and especially on the educational system for fisheries technical manpower in the North Korea. It was found that the North Korea's basic idea of educational policy is constituted by bringing up the communistic human beings on the ground of "the Ideas of Identity" and by bringing up industrial technical manpower for development of communistic economic. The basic educational system consists of 1-4-6-4 school years system, and 11 years of compulsory education up to the higher middle schools is imposed to all people. The educational system for industrial technicians is also composed of the regular school system which is following the basic educational system and of the irregular school system which is being attached to the industrial bodies. The fisheries educational system is very similar to the general educational system for industrial technicians, and the fisheries workers are treated more warmly in comparison with the workers engaging in the other industrial fields. By this study, the authors failed to find out the concrete content of the fisheries educational system including the curriculum owing to the lack of information, but this task should be studied continuously to make provision of reunification in the near future. Expressly, a continuous and profound research is required to be carried out on actual accepted state of the international maritime conventions together with the marine officers' certification system for the shipping and fisheries fields in the North Korea.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.24 no.3 s.35
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• pp.339-355
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• 1991

The concept of workers' participation in occupational health was introduced to Korea recently in relation to primary health care in occupational health. But there is confusion and debate about workers' participation concept. The purpose of this study was to review the concepts of workers' participation and to conduct evaluation the workers' participation status in occupational health and safety, 394 workers and 54 employers (5.6%) in north area of Kyunggi-Do, were selected and interviewed with a questionnaire by a trained interviewer from August to September 1990. In general, the concept of workers' participation is based on industrial domocratisation and Declaration of Human Rights which had been powerful ideologies in labor movement. Contrary to workers' participation, community participation is rooted in the Health Rights. So, it is necessary to consider concept of workers' participation to improve participation. The results of survey were as follows. 1. Most of companies (71.75) carried out occupational health education to workers in study area. 2. The Occupational Safety and Health Committee (OSHC) were set up in 24.1% among the study companies, and 72.7% of workers among respondents thought that OSHC was helpful to workers health. 3. The workers signed his name to personal health report in 43.1% and the rate of participation in occupational environment examination was 54.9%. 4. The workers prefer the OSHC (39.3%), owner (35.1%) and union (25.8%) as a occupation health organisation, but owners prefer OSHC (54.5%), manager (43.2%) and union (2.3%). 5. Among the factors of the general characteristics, the existence of labor union was a major determinant of workers' attitude and level of workers' participation. As we have seen, most levels of workers' participation are low in occupational health. The variable of existence of labor union among the factors was a ma determinant of workers attitude and level of workers' participation. Therefore, in order to promote workers health, it is necessary to ponder long deeply on occupational health care system under the viewpoint of workers' participation.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare
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• v.37
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• pp.271-306
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• 1999

This study aimed to present a comprehensive case management model which might be helpful for social workers in community social welfare agencies who works with North Korean refugees for their psychosocial adjustment in South Korea. After being constructed, the model was put into practice upon North Korean refugees. This article described the whole process of model construction and its application. Detail steps taken in this research include: (a) The researcher had 20 unstructured individual interviews with 11 North Korean refugees in order to identify psychosocial problems that need social workers' intervention; (b) Based upon the problems identified through interviews and previous literature review, program components were identified and sorted out into two phases, one of which is therapeutic phase, the other is case management phase; (c) By interlocking the two phases, the researcher proposed a comprehensive case management model whereby North Korean refugees can get psychosocial services as well as linkage services in an interactive fashion; (d) The utility of the proposed model was examined by using a couple of North Korean refugees who initially showed complicated psycho-social-economic problems. The therapeutic phase employed a cognitive-behavioral approach. The case management phase consists of: assessment and diagnosis; service planning and resource identification; linking of clients to needed services; monitoring of service delivery; and evaluation. Although the program could not go through with because of the limited contacts with North Korean refugees for security reasons, the program was turned out to be very useful in helping North Korean refugees' settling-down in South Korea. Implications for the application of the proposed model was discussed along with limitations of this study.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.124-131
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• 2013

South Korea is changing into a multi-cultural society, due to an increase in international marriage, foreign workers and transcultural immigration. In addition, the number of North Korean defectors entering South Korea has increased and now, there are approximately 25000. Therefore, this review have focused on a research that pertains to adaptation and mental health concerns of their children. Children who have immigrated themselves or whose parents have immigrated, might experience language barriers, difficulties in school adjustment, identity confusion and mental health problems. However, their academic performance and developmental status are known to be variable and be affected by socioeconomic status and their parents' educational level. Studies that evaluated the psychological problems of North Korean adolescent refugees' indicated the need for interests in both emotional and behavioral problems. The risk factors of North Korean adolescent refugees' mental health are suggested to be past traumatic experiences, long duration of defection and short period of adaptation. When mental health professionals provide assessment and treatment, they should consider the pre- and post-migration experiences & cultural background that affect the illness behaviors and attitudes toward mental illnesses. Lastly, the majority of children with multi-cultural background are still under an adolescent period and we should follow up with long-term perspectives.