MAPPING SOUTH KOREAN ATTITUDES TOWARDS NORTH KOREAN REFUGEES Julie Han ’12
ABSTRACT North Korean refugees who resettle in South Korea face a myriad of obstacles to assimilation. In addition to difficulties of adjusting to the radically different political, economic, and social structures of South Korea, refugees are subject to discrimination from South Koreans throughout, and after, the adjustment process. The currently proposed model illustrates three processes that would facilitate positive South Korean attitudes towards North Korean refugees. It also provides descriptions of social, historical, and psychological barriers to these processes and how they prevent positive attitudes towards refugees. Discriminatory attitudes of South Koreans towards refugees not only heighten stress of assimilation but may also decrease South Koreans’ future support for generous refugee policy and for reunification with the North. Recognition of the vast political, economic, and sociocultural differences that separate North and South Korea is necessary to understand the difficulties North Korean refugees face after resettling in South Korea. While safe passage out of North Korea may appear to be the toughest challenge for refugees, adjusting to life after defection is comparable in terms of obstacles and stress. Sudden escalation in the number of resettled refugeesi following devastating flooding and famineii in the North in the 1990s revealed many of these refugee problems to the South Korean public. Princeton Journal of East Asian Studies!
Some of the most recognized issues today include language and cultural barriers, poverty, unemployment, and mental health (Kim, 2010). For newly resettled refugees, social support and interaction are necessary for adequate mental and emotional adjustment (Ahearn, 1999). The friendly, hostile, or indifferent attitudes of host nation citizens can greatly impact the likelihood of successful adjustment. Interviews of North Korean refugees who resettled in South Korea revealed many instances of discrimination because individuals were from the North. An important step in helping North Korean refugees overcome other obstacles to assimilation is identifying how to promote positive South Korean attitudes towards refugees. This report proposes a model to illustrate the various factors that influence attitudes of South Koreans (Figure 1). Leading into the outcome of positive South Korean attitudes towards North Koreans are three main processes or channels: perception of a shared identity with North Koreans, successful assimilation of North Korean refuges into South Korean society, and South Koreans’ acceptance of perceived costs of refugee resettlement. As the model shows, each process can be obstructed or facilitated by a number of items. Also shown in the model is the bidirectional relationship between North Korean refugees’ attitudes and South Koreans’ attitudes. As it is a fairly simplified model, it does not provide a comprehensive view of all factors that influence South Korean attitudes. It does, however, allow one to 52!