Using Photovoice to Understand the Social Exclusion and Psychosocial Adjustment of North Korean Adolescent and Young Adult Refugees in South Korea

Purpose: A growing number of North Korean refugees in South Korea face challenges in cultural adjustment. More specifically North Koreans face significant barriers to social inclusion in South Korean society due to the strong emphasis of cultural homogeneity and negative perceptions of North Koreans. However, scholars have not adequately examined the issue of social exclusion, despite the negative effects on the psychosocial well-being and quality of life for these refugees. To address this research gap, this study explored the life experiences of 10 North Korean refugees in South Korea, using an innovative qualitative methodology.

Methods: To ensure information-rich cases, we recruited a purposeful sample of adolescent and young adult refugees from North Korea. A group home consisting of 10 refugee residents was identified by key informants in the North Korean refugee community as a model group home. Choosing this as our study site was a major advantage due to strong sense of community among the residents. We used Photovoice as a participatory research tool consisting of individual interviews, group discussions and visual representations. A total of eight sessions were held at the group home between June and August of 2012. Each session lasted about 3 hours. Participants were asked to take 10 to 15 photos of the selected theme for each session and to choose two key photos to use in discussing their experiences and feelings. At each session, we began with individual interviews to generate their thoughts about the photographs, followed by a one-and-a-half hour group discussion on key photos. 

Results: Six major themes and 18 subthemes emerged: Friends (Away from the flock, Feeling stigmatized, Longing for a friendship), What we have lost (Memories of North Korea, Nature, Social interactions with people), the world we live in (Academic performance and competition, Discrimination based on socioeconomic status, Traditional values disappearing), Culture (Feeling at home, Looking at South Korea from a distance, Looking back on my life), Life goals (Not having a life goal, Achieving my dreams, What I am planning to do), and Values (Money, Family, Identity as a defector). All of the participants expressed their wishes to make friends and to feel a sense of community. However, participants also reported experiencing social exclusion and peer discrimination that are barriers to successful adjustment in South Korea. The participants also defined their new homeland as a place where competition, material wealth, and social status are highly valued, while traditional values and nature are eschewed, compared to North Korean culture. The participants have made efforts to adapt to their new homeland and create new life goals. 

Conclusion and Implications: Our findings support the importance of investigating social exclusion and psychosocial adjustment of North Korean refugees in South Korea. Practitioners need to assess to what extent schools and communities promote negative perceptions and prejudiced attitudes, which adversely affect psychosocial adjustment of North Korean refugees. Recognizing and understanding complex issues in social exclusion and psychosocial adjustments can inform the developments of culturally relevant interventions that foster a sense of belonging and promote coping mechanisms.