Abstract
The purpose of this research was to find out the housing history of Sakhalin returnees in Ansan Gohyangmaeul since leaving hometown under the Japanese ruling period, who experienced two international migration for one's life. Face to face interview had been done with 20 returnees in the community center of Ansan Gohyangmaeul during October to December, 2008. The semi-structured questionnaire about housing the respondents lived in major life changes used to guide the individual interview. The results showed that personal life as well as housing histories were differed by the reason to move into Sakhalin, which still influenced the returnee' life up to now. The housing they had lived changed from barracks like a training camp, to Japanese small wooden cottage/row house, and then Russian brick house/ apartment. Housing alteration and addition and rebuilding were common to renew the old existing house. The boundary of residing area was mostly limited to the first residing location under soviet governing system throughout one's life without a long distance move. Housing satisfaction was very high in Gohyangmaeul because of the improvement of housing facilities and residence itself as well as the convenience of housing management, compared to former residence in Sakhalin. Economic and emotional aspects of life satisfaction were also high during about 8 years of living in the apartment. Forced movers still require the compensation on hand to either Korean or Japanese government no matter the amount. Social integration to the Korean community would be one of the main issues to new returnees as well as the already returned. In-depth interviews of case study need to reveal the unique housing experience of the forced mover according to the type of leaving hometown by oneself or by parents, and to returned region and time to motherland.
