• Korean Journal of Family Social Work
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• no.62
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• pp.141-169
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• 2018

This study was a qualitative case study of mother's experiences chidult in South Korea focusing on North Korean single mom defector with children in their 20s. The purpose of the present study was to explores the mother's experiences of North Korean single mom defector without their spouses. Semi-structured in-depth interviews were arranged with 3 North Korean refugee mothers without their spouses who met the criteria for the present research purpose. As a result of the analysis, the mother's experiences into five main clusters of themes which may be labeled as (1) The presence of more meaningful children in a strange land, (2) Everyday life, such as the superwoman, (3) The rigor of a care to too cumbersome, (4) Gratitude and value discovery in our daily lives, (5) To find new life. In all there are ten sub categories to consider. On the basis of these results, we presented some conclusions on the mother's experiences of North Korean single mom defector. We also presented some implications of these results on welfare services and future research.

• Korean Medical Education Review
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.95-101
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• 2012

As North Korea passed from the Devotion (Jeongseong) movement to the black market (Jangmadang) system, the medical service system in that country was effectively destroyed. North Korean physicians who have successfully defected to South Korea (North Korean defector physicians, NKDPs) have experienced socio-economic hardships on their way to becoming incorporated into the South Korean medical system due to different medico- social cultures, different (English-based) medical terminology, and the clinical knowledge gap between North and South Korea. Since 2009, we have operated programs at the Seoul Medical Center to help NKDPs prepare for the South Korean medical licensing examination. These programs consist of clinical education at the medical center, personal mentoring, arrangement of educational programs at the medical college, mock tests at the consortium, and administrative aid. Looking forward, we hope to achieve the following: 1) More systematic support plans are needed involving medical education experts, field physicians, and experts on reunification. 2) An evaluation of defector physicians' current medical knowledge may provide information about the areas where supplementary education is most needed and the standards for certificating licenses. 3) In the short term, a customized glossary should be developed to assist defector physicians prepare for the examination. 4) To secure internships and residencies is the most important issue for further sustained training of NKDP physicians to become good clinicians after certification. Hopefully, this short report on the current ongoing educational course will lead to more extensive discussion.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.56-65
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• 2021

This study examined the background of the dietary life of North Korean defector adolescents born and raised in North Korea and their new South Korean dietary experiences after being settled in South Korea. The study included six North Korean defector adolescents enrolled in an alternative school located in Gyeonggi-do, South Korea. This study's qualitative research methodology included two-by-two group interviews, followed by individual interviews and field observation. The study period was from September 14 to October 26, 2019. Before entering South Korea, they primarily ate food pickled with soybean and salt, a cooking method by which foods are preserved because refrigerators were unavailable. After settling in South Korea, they had difficulty adapting to South Korean foods because of the unfamiliar ingredients and recipes. On the other hand, they quickly adapted to some foods, such as chicken. The participants reported that North Korean foods are generally light, whereas South Korean foods are sweet, salty, and spicy; hence, they do not taste delicious. The results suggest that attention be paid to menu improvement and the provision of nutritional education by schools and the government to prevent undernourishment or malnourishment because of unfamiliar ingredients and recipes.

• Korean Journal of Health Education and Promotion
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.55-69
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• 2013

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the female sexual dysfunction of North Korean defector women and to identify related factors. Methods: A total of 110 North Korean defector women who married and lived in South Korean community more than 1 year participated in this study. A self-report questionnaire was used to obtain data. The dependent variable is the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI). Independent variables were demographic factors (age, education, residential environment, sexual experience(rape), sex knowledge and sex attitude). Data were analyzed using the SPSS for descriptive statistics, t-test, two-way ANOVA, and Multiple Hierarchical Regression. Results: The mean score of sexual function for North Korean defectors was 18.94(SD:5.88). Sexual functioning for North Korean defector women was relatively low, 18.94 in comparison to Rosen's cutoff scores of 26.6. In multiple regression analysis, the sexual function level was significantly higher in elderly, high educational level, stable residential situation, non rape, and conservative sexual attitudes. Conclusions: The results show the status and description of sexual dysfunction in North Korean Women defectors in South Korean community and can be a basic reference for study about sexual dysfunction. However, more study about North Korea Defector Women with sexual dysfunction should be interviewed and evaluated.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.403-414
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• 2016

The purpose of this study is to explore how South Korean TV news programs represent the image of North Korean defector through analyzing South Korean TV news contents portraying North Korean defector. In order to conduct this research, the study analyzes the main subjects of the South Korean TV news contents, the image of characters on the TV news contents, and frames which the TV news contents mainly used. According to the results of this study, the TV news programs represent the positive image of South Korean government whereas they criticize North Korean government while representing North Korean defector issues. However, the TV news programs showed no interest in real problems which the North Korean defectors are experiencing. Further, the findings of this study are very similar to the results of previous studies that were analyzing the representation of news media about minority groups including North Korean defectors. Most studies analyzing how news media represent minority groups show that the groups have been identified not by their own opinions and relations but predominant culture and lifestyles in the society, and they are also represented not by their own voice but predominant perspectives of the society.

• Journal of Korean Home Economics Education Association
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.41-57
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• 2016

This study aimed at developing a family life education program to assist North Korean defector adolescents in their acculturation and adjustment process into South Korea. The program focused on building positive social relationships and managing healthy living, to allow them to develop appropriate skills needed to achieve social self-sufficiency. Researchers conducted interviews with defector adolescents as well as teachers of charter schools for defector students in order to identify the adolescents' needs. The contents of the program were carefully chosen to reflect the needs identified through the interviews. The program provides hands-on projects that are relevant to students' lives and consists of 10 study units that deal with different aspects of family life: food and dietary life, appearance and clothing, housing and community life, family and personal relationships, consumption, etc. The program was implemented in September through December, 2015, at Yeomyung School, which is an alternative highschool for North Korean defector adolescents. The program is expected to help North Korean defector students adopt the skills by experience and apply them in their daily life situations.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.1-14
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• 2015

The purpose of this study is to examine North Korean defector students' characteristics in science learning through their voice in an "Angbuilgu" program, one of the Korean traditional science knowledge (TSK). We compared them with two other groups of contrasting backgrounds. The Angbuilgu program contains meaningful questions of time, everyday-life knowledge, Korean TSK, and western modern science (WMS). The teaching strategy consists of interactions between teacher and students, and scientific experiments. We applied this program to three groups and analyzed: North Korean defector students, elementary science gifted students, high school students in an advanced class. The characteristics of their science learning show the following: First, their interpretation of time as nature itself in their everyday life. They have rich experience and are familiar with time in nature. Second, they prefer science with complementary, caring, and humanist perspectives, which is in contrast to other groups with preference to the updated and practical science. Third, they lack scientific concepts but possess an abundance of everyday-life knowledge. Their linguistic expressions are ordinary rather than scientific. Fourth, they are familiar with narrative thinking more than scientific thinking. The results show that the science program using Korean TSK can help them accept new scientific knowledge as well as cultural pride, which plays a role in reconfirming their identity as one ethnicity. We expect that the contents of Korean TSK can be an intercultural field between North Korean defector students and our science curriculum.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.17 no.10
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• pp.120-139
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• 2017

The purpose of this research was to explore life history of an elderly woman who fled from North Korea and to understand and provide interventions for female North Korean Defector. The participant of this research is an 81-year-old woman who escaped from North Korea and has lived in South Korea for over 14 years. This life history study followed the analysis of Mandel baum(1973) pointing three perspectives of life: dimensions, turnings, and adaptations. This study concluded that the participant of the research study had no protection while staying in China and North Korea and had experience of Homo Sacer. And even after arriving to South Korea the participant had to live her life with the past negative experiences in North Korea and China. Based on the research results discussions and implications were suggested.

• Child Health Nursing Research
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.256-263
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• 2011

The purpose of the study was to evaluate the physical and psychological health status of North Korean defector children and identify associated factors. The participants in the study were 103 children ranging in age from 7 to 14 years old. Physical health status was evaluated through height and weight measurements as well as clinical laboratory results. Psychological health status was assessed using structured survey interviews. Data were analyzed utilizing Pearson correlation coefficients, t-test, ANOVA, and descriptive statistics. On arrival in South Korea, 19% of the children did not meet the child growth standards of South Koreans for height and 15% for weight. However, twelve weeks after, these percentages had decreased significantly. It found that 38.5% of children presented mild posttraumatic reaction and 40.4% presented moderate reaction. Scores for externalizing and internalizing behavior problems were $0.38{\pm}0.30$ and $0.59{\pm}0.36$ respectively. Posttraumatic reaction was higher in girls (t=0.41, p=.03), and boys showed higher externalizing problems (t=2.04, p=.04). Externalizing problems were correlated with gender and internalizing problems were associated with posttraumatic reactions and externalizing problems. The findings indicate that North Korean defector children need timely developmental assessments and tailored intervention programs to meet child growth standards need to be developed.

• The Korean Journal of Stress Research
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.149-158
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• 2018

Background: This study is a qualitative research conducted to identify the core theme and essence of the North Korean defector youths by intensively exploring the experience of adapting to school life in South Korea. Methods: The participants were 11 young people of 20~25 year olds who had attended middle and high school in South Korea. The data was collected through focus group interviews and analyzed by content analysis. Results: The results found 5 clusters of theme, 14 themes, 34 categories. The 5 clusters of theme were 'Astonishment in a new country', 'Hard to bear existential pain', 'Desperate struggles to survive', 'Two-facedness of support inside and outside of school', 'Unfinished burden of reality'. Conclusions: This research suggest that practical ways to help the youths such as authentic approaches, necessary information and material support, support for making friends and friendship, providing college admission information and support, parent training and mentoring.