• 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.

• 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.

• Journal of the Korean Home Economics Association
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• v.45 no.3
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• pp.71-86
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• 2007

The purpose of this study was to investigate North Korean child defectors and South Korean children's pro-social moral reasoning, pro-social decision-making, moral reasoning and moral judgement on violence. The participants were 82 North Korean child defectors and 186 South Korean children in Seoul and Kyunggi Province. All respondents answered self-report questionnaires including 6 stories of pro-social moral conflicts and 4 stories of moral conflicts on violence. Data were analyzed by independent sample t-test, $Scheff{\acute{e}}$ test, repeated measure ANOVA and one-way ANOVA. The major findings were as follows. First, North Korean child defectors showed a bigger difference between the level of pro-social moral reasoning in close relationship situations and that in distant relationship situations than South Korean children did. In the 11-13 year old group, North Korean child defectors showed lower level of pro-social moral reasoning than that of South Korean children. Second, children showed more helping responses in close relationship situations than in distant relationship situations. The 11-13 year old group Children also showed more helping responses than the 14-16 year old group did. Third, 11-13 year old South Korean children showed a higher level of moral reasoning on violence than the North Korean child defectors did. Finally, North Korean child defectors judged violence with a justifiable intention as being more wrong than South Korean children did.

• Korean Journal of Culture and Social Issue
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.41-61
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• 2008

This study was performed to investigate the North Korean defectors's depression through the CES-D and a projective test simultaneously. So 40 North Korean defectors and 40 South Koreans participated in this study. The results are the following. First, the North Korean defectors demonstrated more higher CES-D scores than the South Koreans, while there were not significant differences in the Rorschach depression-related indexes, DEPI, CDI, S-CON between two groups. Second, at the analysis of the sex difference effect, women among the North Korean defectors showed the most high CDI index scores. In addition, we analyzed the mean differences between two groups for morbid content, shading response, achromatic response, human movement response, form dimension response, Lamda, and the number of total response. However, there are not significant differences between two groups for those variables, except for form dimension(FD) response. It suggested the probability that the North Korean women defectors could experience more psychological distress underlyingly than the North Korean men defectors. Third, most importantly, the correlation between CES-D and DEPI in the Rorschach test was significantly different in the two groups(the North Korean defectors and the South Koreans). In conclusion, the self-report of the North Korean defectors on depression could be exaggerated. So we should be cautious to interpret the self report results of the North Korean defectors.

• 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.

• Korean Security Journal
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• no.49
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• pp.217-246
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• 2016

Most of the North Korean defectors are the socially disadvantaged, and formed the lowest class in South Korean society. Their main objectives are to achieve economic wealth. In this process, North Korean defectors have often committed the crime or have been criminal victims. The purpose of this study was to propose the effective preventive measures after analyzing the actual situation of North Korean defectors in criminal behaviors and criminal damages. This research has studied of the literature on the criminal behavior and the criminal damage by North Korean defectors, utilized the relevant statistical data, cited the news for the relevant cases, and proposed the effective preventive measures of criminal behaviors and criminal damages of North Korean defectors by doing in-depth interviews with personal protection officer First, in order to prevent criminal activity by North Korean defectors, we should uplift the identity as the members of Korean society, systemize the initial adapt education, enlarge the employment protection and the resettlement helper system, manage North Korean defectors according to adaptive type, develop the network, establish the management department for the defectors, strengthen the training of prison inmates, and strengthen the management of unprotected people. Next, in order to prevent the criminal damages of North Korean refugees, we should manage vulnerable North Korean defectors effectively, maintain the liaison between the personal protection officer and North Korean defector, arrange the personal safety measures in advance when traveling abroad, enhance the legal education for usual living in Korean society, and perform the re-education for the female socialization.

• Korean Journal of Human Ecology
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.175-191
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• 2014

The purpose of this study was to acquire in-depth understanding regarding teachers' experiences with North Korean defectors' young children during their initial settlement period at Pyeonghwa Kindergarten. The participants of this study included 2 kindergarten teachers and 15 North Korean defectors' young children along with 3 local classmates. Qualitative data was collected via interviews and in-class observations. The study results show that (1) teachers witnessed that North Korean defectors' young children came from diverse backgrounds and struggled with emotional insecurity while local classmates were being excluded by them, (2) teachers had difficulties to communicate and make a consensus with their parents while teachers' efforts to communicate were being paid off gradually, and (3) teachers felt that kindergarten education was de-prioritized administratively to elementary education, and many programs were cancelled due to lack of understanding of in-charge staff.