• Korean Journal of Social Welfare Studies
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• v.43 no.2
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• pp.179-206
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• 2012

This study was based on politic reality which is being developed within the ambiguity of cultural welfare, and discussed what sort of awareness the practitioners show in the settlement process of the cultural welfare policy in depth. 4 elements were discovered in the settlement process of the cultural welfare policy which the practitioners are aware of. The elements are value(pursuit of comprehensive mankind), element of practice(process of operation), elements of external influences(process of policy settlement), and elements of internal influences(reinforcement of practitioners capability). This means that not only the process of policy settlement in a narrow sense, but also value, practice, and reinforcement of practitioners' capability for the provision of better service should be considered for the settlement of the policy. This study which analyzed the cultural welfare practitioners' awareness of policy settlement process is significant in that it provides the basic data for future settlement of the cultural welfare policy.

• Journal of the Korea Society of Computer and Information
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.117-122
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• 2018

This study aims to search for policy strategies for settlement of North Korean defectors in Korean society, develop strategies based on the results and present their implications. For the purposes, this study set up a cause and effect model referring to previous bibliographical and statistical data. The results are presented as follows: First, to overcome anxiety of exposure in the defectors, personal information should be protected. Second, their psychological problems should be solved and they should be emotionally stable for better adaptation to Korean society. Third, keeping in mind that North Korean defectors are Korean people, the issue of nationality should be institutionally managed. Fourth, as one of difficulties they have is economic problems, practical support measures should be developed to solve them. Fifth, the federal government and local governments should be active in changing their recognition on them and provide the Korean community education for citizens to resolve cultural differences.

• Journal of Internet of Things and Convergence
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.73-86
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• 2020

This study examines the North Korean defectors' economic and psychological adjustment status in South Korean society focusing on the specificity of North Korean defectors with the social integration perspective. We conducted a questionnaire survey of 225 North Korean defectors in Seoul and Gyeonggi-do and conducted analysis using the SPSS 22.0 program. The results of the study are as follows. First, the economic adaptation of North Korean defectors was evaluated to be generally low. Second, North Korean refugees' psychological and social adjustment status is generally lower than average, especially cultural adaptation stress, friendship, and satisfaction with physical and mental health. Third, the psychological and cultural adaptation strategy and social support of defectors affected the life satisfaction positively and the adaptation stress had significant negative impact on life satisfaction. Therefore, strategies which reducing adaptive stress and enhancing psychological and cultural adaptation strategies are needed to be implemented in South Korean society. Based on results, policy alternatives were discussed.

• Psychiatry investigation
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• v.15 no.11
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• pp.1019-1029
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• 2018

Objective We investigated how mental health awareness among North Korean refugees transformed depending on temporal-spatial context changes. Methods In 2013, we conducted interviews with 10 refugees (eight women) who had been in South Korea for over a year and performed a qualitative analysis of the change in mental health awareness in the differences between living in North Korea, escape (a related period of forced sojourn in a third country), and settlement in South Korea. Results We classified 39 concepts into five main categories. The first two categories (while living in North Korea) were "a mindset for the system, but not for individual mental health" and "being confined in a social environment that was indifferent to mental health." A third category appeared during escape: "focusing on survival amid continuity of intense suffering." The final two categories appeared when settling in South Korea: "recognition of mental health amid cultural shock" and "introspection and sorting oneself out." Conclusion This qualitative study enabled a better multi-dimensional understanding of the social and cultural aspects involved in improving mental health awareness among North Korean refugees in South Korea. It is desirable to integrate mental health as a part of daily life and to expand training for North Korean settlers.