• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.381-393
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• 2019

This study aimed to develop an educational program on cervical cancer prevention and human papillomavirus (HPV) for female North Korean refugees and to assess the effect of the program. This study used a nonequivalent control group with a pretest-posttest design. The participants were 42 female North Korean refugees in their 20s residing in South Korea. Measurements included cervical cancer knowledge, HPV knowledge, attitude toward HPV vaccination, and intention for HPV vaccination. Statistically significant differences emerged in levels of cervical cancer knowledge (U = 40.00, p < .001), HPV knowledge (U = 4.50, p < .001), and attitude toward HPV vaccination (U = 128.00, p = .013) between the experimental and control group. The educational program is an effective nursing intervention to improve cervical cancer knowledge, HPV knowledge, and attitude toward HPV vaccination of female North Korean refugees. Stakeholders must work to establish health policies to reduce health disparities between South and North Korean women to prepare for unification.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.11 no.7
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• pp.335-344
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• 2011

There have been many leading researches on the North Korean Refugees who were settling in Korea which were mostly focused on raising the Defector issues and seeking how to improve those. It is not so easy to get over social and cultural gap and differences between the South and the North prolonged for more than half a century especially when the possibility of bulk of the North Korean Refugees rushing into the South by any contingency case is very high or South and North should expand social integration on the basis of mutual exchange and cooperation. Local government should grope for any policy switch which can help them have positive postures rather than simple support policy for settlement, as well.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.11 no.8
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• pp.2840-2852
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• 2010

The number of North Korean refugees entering South Korea since the mid 1990s has increased continuously and recently the number has reached 2 million people, which is expected to continue to rise. In the meantime, the government of South Korea has been developing various means to help the North Korean refugees take part in our society and to increase their self-reliance. In this study, improvements were made to systems where North Korean national qualifications are made eligible for use in South Korea, to help them better adapt to our society. The research conducted a Delphi survey of 70 professional qualified workers, training specialists, qualified professionals, researchers and government agents, and 6 interviews were carried out to North Korean refugees and qualified judges. The results complement the current system, in terms of eligibility qualification procedures, where the department's role in its qualification procedure is enhanced and practical experiences are added to the procedure.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.636-652
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• 2018

This study is about applying the concept of moral injury in reinterpreting and understanding the experience of female North Korean refugees who have experienced psychological trauma and are struggling with adjusting in their everyday lives. The database KISS and DBpia were used to search for academic peer-reviewed articles published before August 13th in 2017, using 'female or women North Korean,' 'female or women relocated North Korean,' and 'female or women North Korean defector' as keywords. In total 51 studies were finally selected for content analysis and the result were the following. First, listing from the most often occurring study topic to the least occurring topic in order: post-defection adjustment related, mothering experience, experience of North Korean regime and Korean War, work or job or employment related, recovering from psychological trauma as well as growth and resilience related, experiences in China, trauma and psychological difficulties, anxiety treatment process and effects. Second, words related to psychological aspect of moral injury appeared 260 times in 51 selected studies, changes in the existential belief appeared 82 times, cognitive aspects of moral injury appeared 71 times, and behavioral aspects 21 times. Third, two main contexts emerged to be the antecedent that led to moral injury and they were 'identity denial' and 'dismantled family.' In attempts to find opposite cases or stories where aspects of moral injury were not found despite the existence of its antecedents and it was 'identity restructuring.' Based on the finding, practice implications that could help female North Korean refugees prevent or recover from moral injury were suggested.

• Korean Journal of Culture and Social Issue
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.19-44
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• 2014

This study was conducted to investigate the types of personality of North Korean female refugees, which were extracted from the T-scores of SPFQ(scales of the Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire) and psychological adaptation. For this, The data of 158 North Korean female refugees located in Seoul Yangchun-Gu and Gayang-Gu was analyzed. The results were as follows. Firstly, the ratio of over 65T in ego-strength, self-control, social-boldness, anxiety scales and under 34T in abstractedness and openness to change scales was higher than in other scales. Secondly, there were statistically significant differences in personality characteristics based on the demographic variables especially age and the term of residence in South Korea. Thirdly, three distinct groups were extracted from the K-means cluster analysis. The first group was characterized with emotional-unstability and negative emotionality. And the North Korean female refugees in the second group hesitated to enter into and maintain proper relationships with south korean, while they were unlikely to accept norms and rules in South Korea. The third group, characterized by higher emotional stability, ego-strength, and agreeableness, was met normal range in all the scale of SPFQ. Finally, each three groups were showed statistically significant differences in psychological adaptation scales(self-identity and resilience). We expected that these results contributed to explore the psychological and the political plans for North Korean female refugees' settlement in South Korea.

• Korean Security Journal
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• no.59
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• pp.161-188
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• 2019

Not much is known about the factors of North Korean refugees willingness to report crime. Based on the survey of 800 North Korean refugees living in the metropolitan area of South Korea, this study examined the theoretical factors influencing North Korean refugees' willingness of reporting crime. Focusing on the legal cynicism, procedural justice, and the behavior of law theory, this research verified that procedural justice model is most important in explaining their willingness to report crime. Variables under procedural justice model(i.e., perceived fairness of the law, confidence in the law, and perceived necessity of the law) were significant in an expected direction. On the other hand, most of the hypotheses based on social conditions derived from the five types of stratification, morphology, culture, organization, and social control presented by Donald Black (1974) showed no significant effects on the intent to report crime among North Korean refugees. Implications for research and policies were discussed based on the findings.

• East Asian Economic Review
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.81-100
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• 2017

This study measures the degree of dollarization in North Korea using results from a survey of 231 North Korean refugees. Specifically, we compare foreign currency use of households as both store-of-value substitutes (i.e., asset substitution) and transaction substitutes (i.e., currency substitution) before and after the confiscatory currency reform of 2009. The degree of dollarization has advanced since the currency reform in terms of both asset and currency substitutions. Survey results also indicate that the Chinese yuan is frequently used in the Sino-North Korean border area, whereas the US dollar is predominantly used in non-border areas. Furthermore, foreign currency increasingly serves as a medium of exchange not only for large transactions but also for smaller transactions, such as food purchases.

• Korea and Global Affairs
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.63-88
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• 2018

The purpose of the present paper is to examine the North Korean refugee protection system and its shortcomings. Based on the findings from the analysis of legal system and status of personal protection, this paper proposes the following measures to solve the problems and improve South Korea's existing system. First of all, personal protection for North Korean refugees should be carried out in an inclusive and humanitarian manner. Secondly, the collaborative governance operating system for protecting North Korean refugees should be established. Lastly, clear guidelines for personal protection procedures should be developed to ensure personal protection officers'accountability.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.60 no.3
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• pp.285-289
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• 2006

Background : North Korea's economic and public health problems began in the early 1990s as a result of the gradual loss of economic support from its communist allies, combined with an inordinate number of natural disasters. The decline in public health has increased the incidence of tuberculosis in North Koreans and refugees. This study investigated tuberculosis situation in North Korean refugees in order to prepare for the future impact of tuberculosis control in Korea. Material and Methods : From 2001 to 2005, tuberculosis patients among North Korean refugees who were diagnosed before or after arriving in South Korea, based on the official records of OO hospital, were enrolled in this study. The demographic and clinical data of the cases were evaluated retrospectively. Results : A total of 42 TB cases were reviewed during the study period. Of these, 37 (88.1%) cases were pulmonary TB. based on the cases identified among the number of North Korean refugees' arriving each year, the annual incidence of pulmonary TB were 900 per 100,000 in 2004, 700 in 2003, The number of smear-positive patients was 20 (47.6%) and the number of culture-positive patients was 18 (42.9%). Of the M. tuberculosis isolates, 2 cases were found to be susceptible to all anti-TB drugs available, 4 were resistant to isoniazid, and 3 were multi-drug resistant. Conclusion : The prevalence of pulmonary TB in North Korean Refugees is high. In addition, North Korean refugees suffer from more severe tuberculosis in bacteriological and radiological aspects.

• 한국사회정책
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.161-194
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• 2018

The purpose of this study is to investigate the factors that interrupt the use of social security of elderly North Korean refugees. As a result of qualitative content analysis using interview data, it is found that the elderly North Korean defectors have a lower access to the social security system. The main reason for hindering the use of social security system is low awareness due to limited information channels, psychological distance to South Korean society and residents. Moreover, this psychological distance is a factor that reduces the geographical accessibility of elderly North Korean defectors by preferring to use services in specific institutions for North Korean, while South Korean elderly people can use the service elsewhere. In addition, there are many cases in which the elderly in North Korean defectors do not receive sufficient social security due to low income. On the other hand, social security systems with high accessibility of older North Korean refugees are characterized by the fact that they are provided by experts who have formed sufficient rapport with North Korean refugees. Therefore, it seems possible to improve the accessibility of elderly defectors' friendly system by professional workers with cultural competence. In addition, a multidimensional approach is needed to fully cope with the complex desires of elderly North Korean defectors and a mechanism should be set up to reflect their opinion in system operation.