• Journal of Contemporary Eastern Asia
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.61-83
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• 2020

From 1959 to 1984, over 93,000 Koreans moved to North Korea from Japan as part of a repatriation project conducted during this time. Among them were people who had escaped from North Korea and immigrated to Japan and South Korea as well as the descendants of such people. This research examines the immigration trajectories of North Korean defectors related to the repatriation project and its effects on international relations in East Asia in a migration systems context. Specifically, it focuses on 26 North Korean defectors who have connections with Japan and settled in Japan and South Korea. It argues that the migration pathways of North Korean defectors linked with the repatriation project have been constructed with the cooperation of and amidst conflict between East Asian countries. To respond to the situation, North Korean defectors used their connections with Japan in amicable relations between Japan and China. However, after the relations went sour, defectors turned to informal transitional networks. If these strategies were unavailable, the defectors faced difficulties, unless they received social or capital support from the destination countries. After entering the destination country, those who settled in Japan have experienced different situations due to the inconsistency in administrative proceedings, while those in South Korea have been treated equally as other defectors. In this sense, some defectors have faced precarious situations in their immigration.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.18 no.10
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• pp.524-530
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• 2017

Unlike in the past, North Korean defectors are not merely satisfied at escaping the regime; they now consider their escape as a form of immigration to pursue a better life. This study examines the adaptation status of North Korean defectors and suggests a plan to cope with the associated challenges accordingly. The current status of North Korean defectors is analyzed based on a literature review and the latest data on their current status, along with their actual adaptation progress to South Korean society and other factors related to the difficulty in their social adjustment. The number of North Korean defectors has increased rapidly since 2000, but the number started to fall in the wake of the inauguration in 2012 of the Kim Jong Eun regime. In addition, North Korean defectors arriving after 1999 are significantly less educated and from lower levels in terms of their occupation and livelihood than those who arrived before. The factors related to North Korean defectors' maladjustment to South Korean society include: difficulties in performing economic activities, differences in the political and economic systems, and cultures, of the two Koreas, and other difficulties stemming from family relations. If the difficulties North Korean defectors experience in adapting to South Korean society are resolved with the support of North Korean defectors and facilities of South Korean society, North Korean defectors will be able to settle down successfully. It is also important for North Korean defectors to strive to adapt to South Korean society by sharing their emotion with the members of society. Therefore, in order for North Korean defectors to adapt smoothly to South Korean society, it is necessary to plan some concrete ways that would reduce social and financial burdens nationwide.

• Communications of Mathematical Education
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.455-470
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• 2019

The purpose of this study is to investigate of the North Korean adolescents defectors' mathematics learning. We have investgated the characteristics of the North Korean adolescents defectors' mathematics learning states and their difficulties in mathematics learning. As a result, the affective domain of the North Korean adolescents defectors was less confident, worthy, and motivated to learn than the South Korean students. The abandonment rate of the North Korean adolescents defectors was higher than that of the South Korean students. According to the results of the survey, the North Korean adolescents defectors who attended elementary school in Korea compared to the births of the North Koreans and other countries had higher interest and desire for learning. Especially, the result showed that the difficulty of learning the mathematics of the North Korean defectors was the linguistic factor.

• Korean Journal of Childcare and Education
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.85-106
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• 2017

Objective: The purpose of this study was to learn from Korean female defectors about their views of child-rearing experiences in South Korea. This study explored how 7 North Korean female defectors with young children developed child-rearing microideologies that acknowledge both North Korean cultural ideology and South Korean cultural ideology. Methods: To examine North Korean female defectors' child-rearing experiences, indepth interviews with 7 North Korean female defectors with young children were conducted. Results: Four theme clusters, 11 themes, and 47 meanings were found from a phenomenological analysis with indepth interview data. Based on the themes, three types of child-rearing microideologies were identified: (1) separation,(2) assimilation, and (3) integration. Each type of child-rearing microideology can be understood with a meaningful phrase "there is no choice", "nevertheless" and "because I came here to be better," respectively. Conclusion/Implications: This study provides knowledge on the individual-specified child-rearing strategy of North Korean female defectors with young children and suggests the necessity of diverse policy proposals based on the child-rearing microideology types.

• International Journal of Advanced Culture Technology
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.19-27
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• 2019

The purpose of this study was to assess mental health and quality of life (QOL) including factors influencing QOL among early North Korean defectors in South Korea. Participants were 151 early North Korean defectors residing in a settlement support center. All measures were self-administered. Unlike refugees living in communities, early defectors did not experience a high rate of mental health problems and reported a good QOL. Psychoticism was the most predictive factor affecting QOL. Findings from this study suggest the importance of mental health assessment and support over time. Psychoticism, significant in explaining QOL of early North Korean defectors, needs early diagnosis and treatment to prevent progression. Mental health issues among refugees may not be evident while they are in a structured, supportive environment. Evaluation and treatment are needed over time.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.21 no.6
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• pp.791-803
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• 2021

To improve the oral health level of North Korean defectors, it is necessary to improve awareness of oral health care along with treatment of oral diseases. The purpose of this study is to develop an oral health education program that can be applied to North Korean defectors who have settled in local communities. To develop the program, three steps were taken: literature review, in-depth interview with experts, and program development applying the Dick&Carey model. As a result of in-depth expert interviews, what should be considered in oral health education for North Korean defectors is the need to understand North Korean defectors in advance, to familiarize themselves with the daily language of North Korea, to develop a synchronization strategy suitable for North Korean defectors, and to connect with whole body health. It was found that there was a need to establish the contents of education and to seek realistic education methods that reflect the characteristics of local communities. As a result of developing the program, fifty learning goals were developed, and ten sessions were planned. The oral health education program for North Korean defectors developed in this study will be of practical help to dental hygienists planning oral health education for North Korean defectors in the future and North Korean defectors.

• Journal of the Korean Home Economics Association
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• v.44 no.7 s.221
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• pp.141-152
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• 2006

This study explores the social-cultural adjustments of North Korean defectors with respect to their self-esteem and internal attribution. The data were obtained from a survey of 195 North Korean defectors who had recently entered South Korea. The respondents had moderate difficulties in their social-cultural adjustment consisting of social activity restriction, discrimination, and social exclusion. Their social-cultural adjustment was positively associated with internal attribution. Those with internal attribution tended to have fewer problems in adjusting to the social systems and culture of South Korea. The findings of this study imply that psychological resources play a role in enhancing the social-cultural adjustment of North Korean defectors.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.488-498
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• 2018

Purpose: This study was conducted to identify the influence of trauma experiences and social adjustment on health-related quality of life in North Korean defectors. Methods: The subjects were 117 North Korean defectors living in B and Y city. The data were collected from September 1 to September 20, 2014, and analyzed by the SPSS/WIN 18.0 program. Results: Significant differences were found in the health-related quality of life with respect to the subjects' education, marriage status, types of dwelling, family types, duration of residence in South Korea, jobs in South Korea and in North Korea, families left in North Korea or other surrounding countries, and subjective health status. Health-related quality of life is negatively related to trauma experiences during escape from North Korea and during their life in South Korea. Health-related quality of life positively is related to social adjustment. The meaningful variables which influenced the subjects'health-related quality include social adjustment, job in South Korea, job in North Korea, current family structure, and trauma experiences in South Korea. Total explanatory power of these factors for health-related quality in North Korean Defectors is 43.0% and social adjustment is the most influential factor. Conclusion: Therefore, in order to enhance health-related quality of life in North Korean defectors, it is necessary for them to increase social adjustment and decrease trauma experiences. In addition, methods are needed to provide job opportunities, better education and family services for North Korean defectors.

• Korea and Global Affairs
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• v.1 no.2
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• pp.85-108
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• 2017

This study speculated on a continuous issue of North Korean defectors and strategies to improve North Korean human rights. North Korean defectors have immigrated to South Korea continuously since the late 1990s. Their immigration was motivated by low financial status in the harsh marching period of North Korea until the mid-1990s. However, the defection motives changed like this: planned defection, family-based group defection and future-oriented defection. The North Korean defectors had had severe human rights abuses as illegal immigrants in the blind spots of human rights of China and the third nations until they were admitted to South Korea after defection. Although South Korea tried to help them consistently both in public and private ways, it was not satisfactory. Therefore, the government and private sectors should pay more consistent attention to the human rights issue. As the National Assembly passed the North Korean Human Rights Act on March 2016, the government should recognize the issue of North Korean defectors as that of universal value and a national issue, and cooperate each other nationally and internationally in diverse ways.

• Korean Journal of Culture and Social Issue
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.41-66
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• 2005

The goal of this study was to investigate factors influencing North Korea defectors's psychological alienation by comparing South Koreans and North Korean defectors in the sense of values, lifestyles, attribution styles and stereotypes. To pursue this goal, a questionnaire was distributed to 143 South Koreans and 99 North Korean defectors, According to results, in comparison with South Koreans, North Korean defectors placed more values on 'nation' than 'individual or family', on the 'support of parents' than 'a great success', In the lifestyles, the North Korean defectors than South Koreans put higher significance in 'traditional familism', 'traditional collectivism', 'social consciousness', and 'traditional hierarchy'. As for stereotypes, South Korean people considered the North Korean defectors defiant, critical, egoistic, and competitive people. Also, South Koreans perceived North Korean defectors as more negatively than North Korean defectors did themselves. In case of alienation, North Korean defectors reported that their workplace was the most common place where they were alienated. As a result of investigating factors investigating the North Korean defectors' alienation, it showed that 'affluent life' in their values, 'cultural openness' in the lifestyles, and 'inside attribution' in the attribution styles were critical. Finally, it discussed limitations of the present study and the research required in the future.