• Journal of the East Asian Society of Dietary Life
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.1-13
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• 2011

The number of North Korean refugees residing in the Republic of Korea (South) has reached 17,000, and this number is expected to exceed 20,000 (North Korean Supporter's Association, 2009). Refugees have developed improper dietary habits while hiding and escaping North Korea. They have also developed preferences for exotic food. This thesis attempts determine the changes in Korean food. This study also describes the view on South Korean food by North Korean refugees. According to our survey, women refugees had better dietary habits than men. Moreover, women and those in their 40's showed a tendency to choose food based on quality over quantity. Both men and women refugees responded that they cook food based on North Korean recipes. Those who view their current financial status as average or higher stated that South Korean food is tastier than North Korean food. Those whose financial status among North Koreans was average or higher when they lived in North Korea appreciated the splendor and beauty of South Korean food more. The results of this study are expected to assist in determining the differences in dietary habits between those from the North compared to Koreans living in the Republic of Korea. Therefore, studies between South and North Korean food should continue.

• Human Ecology Research
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• v.53 no.2
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• pp.157-168
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• 2015

This study examined positive and negative marital factors on social adaptation to South Korea among North Korean refugees. In terms of previous studies, family variables play an important role in the adaptation to new society among refugees. We analyzed three major marital factors of marriage background, dyadic adjustment, and marital violence. Marital factors consisted of place of birth, place of marriage, dyadic consensus, dyadic satisfaction, dyadic cohesion, emotional violence, physical violence, and sexual violence. We analyzed the data of 295 North Korean refugees who resided in Seoul, Gyeonggi province and Incheon using snowballing sampling. The result indicated that the refugees married to non-Korean partners (including Korean-Chinese, Chinese, or Russian) are more likely to suffer in social adaptation. Place of marriage (whether the couple got married before escaping, during the escape or after living in South Korea) did not have a significant impact. Dyadic satisfaction was helpful in social adaptation, while sexual violence had a negative effect. The findings of this study suggest alternatives for more successful social adaptation by North Korean refugees to South Korea, a need for more services that target married couples and families rather than individuals, and suggestions for the use of counselors who are also North Korean refugees.

• The Research Journal of the Costume Culture
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• v.28 no.6
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• pp.845-857
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• 2020

As the number of North Korean refugees increases in South Korean, their acculturation to life in their host country is coming to be an important social issue. This study explores some clothing-related barriers experienced by North Korean refugees and their moderating effects on acculturation to South Korea. Data were collected using a self-administered survey of 163 female and 37 male North Korean refugees in South Korea aged 20 to 69 years. Descriptive analyses, t-tests, ANOVA, Duncan tests, and moderated multiple regression were conducted using SPSS 20.0 and Process Macro v.3.3. The results show that the North Korean refugees who participated in the study had experienced clothing-related barriers regarding fashion terminology and shopping rituals in South Korea. In particular, those in their 60s perceived more clothing-related barriers than those in their 20s and 30s. Next, the clothing-related barriers experienced by North Korean refugees have a negative moderating influence on the relationship between self-esteem and acculturation in South Korea. This study provides a deeper understanding of the relationship between fashion and the acculturation of North Korean refugees to South Korea. The results of the study can be also helpful of government policy makers, practitioners, and academics to develop education programs for North Korean refugees.

• Journal of the Korea Society of Computer and Information
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.137-143
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• 2016

This study is to test moderating effects of North Korean Refugees' coping styles in the causal relation between social support and psychological wellbeing and suggest policy implications for helping social adjustment of North Korean Refugees. For this study, 100 North Korean Refugees were sampled and surveyed. The analytical result of this study showed that the degree of psychological wellbeing was highest among the refugees of the entire families migration. Also, this study showed that the causal relationship between social support and psychological wellbeing was not significant, and moderating effects of emotional support and appraisal support were significant, while moderating effects of material support and informative support were not significant. In this study, we suggested some policy implications basing on this analytical results.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture
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• v.27 no.6
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• pp.636-645
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• 2012

The purpose of this study is to investigate factors influencing dietary satisfaction, and their perceived importance and performance, in North Korean refugees according to age. Questionnaires were completed by 220 North Korean refugees and data was analyzed with SPSS software. From our study we determined that fresh food, clean dishes, and proper vegetable oil are of high importance but considered poorly performed. 'Taste' and 'comfort' were factors with low importance but considered well-performed. The IPA technique proved that 8 items including Q4, Q5, Q6, Q7, Q8, Q9, Q11, Q13 were in 'Doing great, keep it up' and no items that got high importance and low performance were in 'Focus here'. North Korean refugees like Korean food more than Chinese, Japanese, and Western food. They specifically want to learn how to cook Korean casseroles, soups, and side dishes(e.g. Myeolchibokkum, Kongjorim). The North Korean refugees who resided in South Korea under a year have difficulties in understanding menus and Western table manners.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.48 no.1
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• pp.62-71
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• 2015

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate North Korean refugees' knowledge of mental illnesses and treatments and analyze the factors affecting this knowledge. Methods: Subjects were selected via a snowball sampling method, and the survey outcomes of 152 North Korean refugee participants were analyzed. The factors affecting knowledge of mental illnesses were analyzed via a regression analysis by constructing a multivariate model with mental illness knowledge score as the dependent variable. Results: The North Korean refugees' mental illness scores ranged from 3 to 24 points, with an average score of 13.0. Regarding the factors that influence mental illness knowledge, the subjects with South Korean spouses and those who had spent more time in South Korea had higher knowledge scores. Furthermore, the subjects who considered the mental health of North Korean refugees to be a serious issue revealed lower knowledge scores than those who did not believe it was a serious issue. The subjects who visit psychiatric clinics showed higher knowledge scores than those who do not. The South Korean subjects who had at least a college education exhibited higher scores than did those without advanced education. The subjects who are satisfied with life in South Korea manifested a higher mental illness knowledge score than those who are not. Conclusions: This study is significant as being the first study to ever measure and evaluate the level of North Korean refugees' knowledge of mental illnesses. In addition, the evaluations of North Korean refugees' mental illness knowledge and influencing factors while residing in South Korea created basic data that formed the foundation of an effort to enhance mental health literacy and provide proper mental health services. The results of this study can be utilized to solve mental health problems that might frequently occur during the unification process of North and South Korea in the future.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.69-76
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• 2015

This paper aims to analyze how the Venture Business Tendency of North Korean refugees affects social adaptation and family health, and to provide proposals for policy making on the issue. For the purpose, we specifically suggest analysis of activation plan that 48 Venture Business North Korean managed Enterprise types, Entrepreneur type, Business type, Gender, Profit etc. As a result of analysis of actual proof, First, The Venture Business North Korean refugees managed need to consult to be technology business professionally because they features to be self-employment than expertise and knowledge basis type. Second, the rate of success of North Korean refugees is researched that female is higher than male. Third, to support Venture Business of North Korean refugees, they need one on one incubating support syspen why they are inexperienced in network, technical skills. Fourth, Venture Business Tendency of North Korean refugees affects social adaptation and family health. Since mid 1990's, North Korean refugees have come to South Korea through China or third countries due to collapsing economy of North Korea. In an effort to help those escaping from North Korea, the Seoul government provided them with a 3-month settlement program. But they have had experienced difficulties in communication, cultural assimilation, and confusion in their value system and identity. For the purpose, one-on-one interview was carried out on 45 North Korean refugees living in Seoul and neighboring cities, and the interviewed group was classified into three categories: single households, single-parent families and families with parents. The study findings demonstrated four policy alternatives to help improve quality of life of North Korean refugees and to help their successful settlemen.

• Sleep Medicine and Psychophysiology
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.35-41
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• 2012

Purpose: According to the statistics announced by the Ministry of Unification, the number of North Korean refugees living in South Korea has increased by 200 on average monthly in 2010. The number of refugees increased only by 300 annually until 2000. The total number of refugees as of February 2012 was 20,956. This study aims to investigate the psychobiology of the North Korean refugees who consulted psychiatric clinics among those living daily life in South Korea. Methods: The subjects of this study were 85 North Korean refugees that consulted psychiatric clinics from January 1, 2005 to July 2011. This study obtained demographic and psychiatric information in a retrospective approach. Results: Among the 85 North Korean refugees, 75 (88.2%) were females and their average age was 48 years of age. A total of 16 (18.8%) were admitted to a clinic and among the inpatients, 4 were admitted twice and two were admitted three times. As for the claimed symptoms of outpatients, insomnia was shown in 47 (55.3%) patients, headaches in 37 (43.5%), anxiety in 20 (23.5%), depression in 19 (22.4%), etc. The major symptoms represented by inpatients were insomnia in 14 (87.5%) patients, depression in 12 (75%), and headaches in 8 (50%), etc. Conclusion: The most frequent psychiatric symptoms of North Korean refugees living in South Korea were insomnia and headaches. It suggests that when performing psychiatric diagnosis and treatment of North Korean refugees, we have to take into consideration the fact that they claimed the physical symptoms more than the emotional ones. Also, from the aspect that most symptoms of North Korean refugees were insomnia, more profound research on sleep is required in the future.

• Anxiety and mood
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.37-44
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• 2010

Objectives : This study investigated the influence of traumatic experience on the ego identity, self-esteem, and general psychopathology of adolescent North Korean refugees. Methods : The participants were 146 adolescents North Korean refugees who attended H High School for North Korean refugees. We divided the subjects into two groups according to the severity of their traumatic experience : the more-traumatic-experience group and the less-traumatic-experience group. Each group performed self-report assessments including an assessment to reveal demographic characteristics, the Traumatic Experiences Scale for North Korean Defectors, the Scale for Ego identity, the Scale for Self-esteem and the Symptom Check-90-Revision (SCL-90-R). Statistical analysis of t-test and multiple regression utilized SPSS 12.0 for Window for comparison between more-traumatic-experience group and less-traumatic-experience group. Results : The prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder among adolescents North Korean refugees was 37%. The factor with the greatest influence on ego identity was length of time living in South Korea, while, for self-esteem the most influential factor was perception of health. The more-traumatic-experience group had lower self-esteem scores on some subscales of the Scale for Ego identity. They had higher scores on all SCL-90-R subscales than the less-traumatic-experience group. Conclusion : Adolescent North Korean refugees experienced high rates of posttraumatic stress disorder. The more traumatic-experience-group had lower self esteem and poorer ego identity and mental health than the less-traumatic-experience group.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.37 no.7
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• pp.1212-1222
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• 2007

Purpose: The present study was done to discover the structure of universal actual experiences 'Considering tomorrow' of health and quality of life among North Korean refugees in terms of the socio-cultural context of South Korea. Method: The research question was 'what is the structure of the actual experience of 'Considering tomorrow?', which was examined based on the Parse's human becoming research method. Five North Korean adult refugees were recruited from a National Reconciliation Committee in Seoul/Incheon. The data was gathered from dialogues and collected from February, 2006 to November, 2006. Results: The structures found in this study were: 'hope for future life by taking responsibility and having harmony with South Koreans, by forming an integrated identification; having a chance for positive engagement, by attaining human freedom and hope; feeling respected, by assimilating self to the new world; getting freedom back, by facing a new challenge and preparing self for a new social role; overcoming cultural differences with fortified hardiness for survival, by making a decision for a life course with individual growth. In addition, conceptual integration was that 'Considering tomorrow is transforming the enabling-limiting values'. Conclusion: Health professionals need to know North Korean refugees' psychological difficulties, expectations of treatment, help seeking behavior, and expectations from mainstream culture. Additionally, understanding North Korean refugees' needs for reality, health education and a multi-disciplinary team approach are necessary to improve their health.