• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.354-372
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• 2020

This study analyzed how North Korean defectors recognized and overcame conflict in the South Korean job culture during the course of entering and settling into South Korea, and the association between their old career and adaptation within their new careers. The study selected 13 employed participants who entered South Korea more than five years ago and experienced working. Interviews were conducted over the course of five years. The topics were analyzed after performing interviews 60 to 120 minutes long by recording and transcribing the recordings and using semi-structured questionnaires for the 13 people. The results reflected the job environment in North Korea, their career background, factors for a successful new life, their constant efforts for employment, the difficult adaption to South Korean life, pursuing job stability, accepting South Korean culture, and career compromises. The results of this study are as follows. First, they undergo difficulty in the course of selecting jobs due to the converted environment from passivity to autonomy. Second, they cannot use their previous job history and they complained about prejudice and the lack of job information. Third, major problems included their lack of adaptability, stress, and loss of economic power. The study suggests that these North Korean defectors undergo an integrated course of cultural learning. Fourth, they were hardly able to adapt. Fifth, they tried to overcome conflicts of job culture according to their personal characteristics.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.567-584
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• 2017

This study investigated formats and structure of meanings for the TV talk shows with North Korean defectors. The authors selected of Channel A and of TV Chosun as research subjects. As results of this study, it was found that the former dealt with heavy issues about North Korea, expressed positive perspectives on North Korea and fantasic expectations about South Korea, and produced superior dicourse of South Korea. On the other hand, the latter one dealt with light and sensational items about North Korea, employed dialogues about critics and disappointments on South Korea, and produced problematic discourse about South Korea. The former produced a kind of converged discourse structure to create superior ideology of South Korea, while the latter produced a kind of dichotomous discourse structure to create frustrating ideology. In short, through this study, it turned out that North Korean defectors suffered from their confused identities, unclear self identities, and minority positions in the South Korean society.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.16 no.10
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• pp.101-113
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• 2018

This study aims to elucidate the major issues and problems of the North Korean woman defectors focusing on the Community settlement system of Korean society in the time of the historical change of the rapidly changing inter - Korean relations starting from the recent summit talks between North and South Korea. Analytical methods were conducted using literature and previous research data. The results of this study are summarized as follows. The necessity of legal and institutional support reflecting the characteristics of life of North Korean woman defectors and experience of defecting, the necessity of development and management of employment education and employment support program for stable settlement support, the necessity of an integrated support system of public - private cooperation governance structure The need for a tailored social adaptation program tailored to individual needs arises. The results of this study are important to suggest the direction of improvement of the actual system through studying the policy and system of the settlement of Korean society in advance of the unification era. In future research, the support system for the settlement of the South Korean society A variety of studies to identify the factors for role formation will be needed.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.17 no.5
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• pp.332-338
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• 2016

This study examined the posttraumatic growth of North Korean defectors, the relation between their characteristics and posttraumatic growth and the factors influencing their posttraumatic growth, and explored methods of improving their mental health status. 145 North Korean defectors, who were trained in B city and G city, participated in the survey from February 1 to March 10, 2016. The posttraumatic growth, resilience, self-esteem, deliberate rumination, and impact of the (traumatic) event were measured using the PTGI (Posttraumatic Growth Inventory), RS (Rumination Scale, Resilience Scale), SES (Self-esteem Scale) and ISR (Impact of Event). The data were analyzed using the t-test, ANOVA, Pearson correlation coefficient and stepwise multiple regression. The mean scores were 29.64 for posttraumatic growth. There were significant positive correlations between posttraumatic growth and resilience and between posttraumatic growth and rumination. The influence of the independent variables on the total posttraumatic growth was examined using regression analysis. Models including the variables (resilience, positive self-esteem, and rumination) explained 54.2% of the variance for the posttraumatic growth. These findings demonstrate that it is essential for nurses to continuously intervene and help North Korean defectors so as to promote their posttraumatic growth and resilience. Furthermore, it is also necessary for nurses to find ways to develop ideal interventions in order to activate deliberate rumination.

• Journal of Korea Entertainment Industry Association
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• v.13 no.7
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• pp.419-430
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• 2019

The study sought to find out the actual process of adapting to social life through interviews with college students and adult women living as defectors in the South, and to find out how it would be desirable to move forward in terms of education in order for all of our lives to be happy. The method of research consisted of semi-structured interviews. The interview period was four months. Based on the results of the interview, the following conclusions are given. First, it is necessary to establish a direction for strengthening cooperation rather than conflict in education, and restoring homogeneity of the same people. It is also true that real challenges are not easy at a time when the fratricidal war like the 6.25 conflict has deepened the conflict. However, at this point, 65 years later, the nation cannot stay only in the past. Second, the perception that they disapprove of economic aid to North Korean defectors also exists in part among adults. Third, negative thoughts about reunification among South Koreans also appear relatively high. This is believed to be due to the argument that the growth of social welfare and economic growth is offset by the increase in unification costs. Fourth, the content of living in real life such as culture and art, along with knowledge-oriented education in school education, should be treated with the same weight. This should create an environment in which North Korean defectors can enjoy the same happiness as South Koreans.

• 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.

• Journal of the Korean Home Economics Association
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• v.38 no.5
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• pp.55-78
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• 2000

The purpose of this project was to provide social adjustment programs for North Korean residents who might migrate into South Korea when free transmigration is allowed in the process of reunification. This study was composed of three parts. First, present social adjustment programs for defectors from North Korea were reviewed. Second, South Koreans attitude toward social adjustment programs for migrated North Koreans in the future was identified based on empirical survey research. Third, the social adjustment programs for migrated North Koreans were discussed from results of the depth interviews which were carried out with 10 North Korean defectors. To support migrated North Koreans' social adjustment in South Korea, this study proposed the first stage village which would have characteristic of group home. Education programs to support social adjustment of migrated North Koreans were developed according to their social adjustment stages. In the middle stage of adjustment model, education programs on living culture in South Korea could be adopted. Education programs related to the various aspects of living culture including consumption, clothing, food, housing, family, child rearing, adolescent education were specified and discussed in detail.

• 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.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.43 no.3
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• pp.431-441
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• 2013

Purpose: The study was done to explore meanings and essence of the experience in South Korea of men defectors from North Korea. Methods: Data were collected from March, 2011 to May, 2012, through in-depth interviews with ten men defectors. Data analysis was conducted using the process of hermeneutic phenomenological reflection. Results: Eight essential themes were extracted; 'buoyant expectation for a new life', 'feeling guilty about family left behind in North Korea', 'inability to become acclimatized due to communication difficulties', 'inability to socialize with South Koreans due to different lifestyles', 'finding strength through trustworthy acquaintances', 'continuing reconciliation with oneself while trying to assimilate into South Korean culture', 'self-realization of one's original self', and 'continuing to feel out the possibility of a future in South Korea'. Conclusion: The findings indicate that North Korean men who defect to South Korea shape their identity through three phases: forming self-image during escape from North Korea, trying to become accustomed to South Korean society, and finding their own identity by self-realization of their original self. Eventually, the whole process enables them to recover their identity, to feel a sense of belonging, and to discover possibilities for a better future.

• Women's Health Nursing
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.46-59
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• 2019

Purpose: To determine associations of traumatic events and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) with sexual autonomy and identify factors influencing sexual autonomy among female university students of North Korean defectors. Methods: A cross-sectional, descriptive study was performed with a total of 103 female students who completed a structured online self-report survey from January 7 to March 31, 2018. This study was conducted using questionnaires on interpersonal trauma scale, the Traumatic Scale for North Korean Refugees (TSNKR), and sexual autonomy measurement for college students. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-test, one-way ANOVA, Pearson's correlation coefficients, and multiple linear regression with SPSS WIN 23.0 program. Results: Traumatic events, PTSD, and sexual autonomy scores were $3.96{\pm}3.07$, $31.47{\pm}10.75$, and $52.66{\pm}6.89$, respectively. PTSD was positively correlated with traumatic events (r=.22, p=.030). Sexual autonomy was inversely correlated with PTSD (r=-.25, p=.010). Contraceptive use, PTSD, and voluntary sexual debut explained 26% of sexual autonomy of participants. Conclusion: To improve sexual autonomy of young women from North Korea, reproductive intervention programs including contraception, sexual assertiveness training, and psychoeducation to reduce PTSD need to be developed and implemented.