Exploring North Korean Refugees' Decision-Making Process to Leave South Korea and Move to the United States

Background and Purpose: Human rights abuses in North Korea have been a crucial international concern. To date, numerous North Koreans have suffered from unlawful killings, torture, and severe government control under a dictatorship that persisted for several decades. Subsequently, many North Koreans have tried to escape their country. Most of those who escaped were more likely to resettle in South Korea than in other countries, as North and South Koreans speak the same language and feel a greater sense of familiarity. Moving to other countries rather than South Korea requires them to learn a new language and adapt to a new culture again, which may be challenging. Despite these barriers, there are some cases where those who escape and resettle in South Korea move to other countries, such as the United States. This qualitative study aims to explore the perspectives and experiences of North Korean refugees regarding the decision-making process for leaving South Korea and resettling in the United States.

Methods: The snowball sampling method was used. Data for this study was gathered through semi-structured individual interviews with 18 North Korean refugees living in the United States. Each interview took about 1 hour and 30 minutes to 2 hours. Thematic analysis was conducted to identify key themes across the data in relation to the research question. Two researchers coded and analyzed data. To ensure trustworthiness, several strategies were utilized, such as peer briefing and triangulation.

Findings: The main themes that emerged from the participants' narratives include: 1) Social stigma and discrimination (I heard gossip saying, "the beggars eat away tax."), 2) Lack of systematic resettlement support from the government (Since the government's system [for entrepreneurship support] is not in place, [North Korean refugees] are struggled and leave for other countries.) 3) For the sake of children (How could my child move forward in a society that is overly conscious of others?)

Conclusions and Implications: The North Korean refugee participants' narratives highlight the various struggles and challenges of resettling in South Korea, which contribute to leaving South Korea and resettling in the United States. Overall, participants emphasize the high level of social stigma and discrimination against North Korean refugees. Additionally, the findings also highlight the absence of the government's systematic efforts. The narratives of the participants who have children also indicate that they chose to resettle in the United States mainly for the sake of their children. In particular, the participants who had children often indicated the challenges resulting from the overall atmosphere of the South Korean society, where people are too sensitive to the gaze of others and high academic pressure is a norm. The findings suggest trauma sensitive social work practice programs, holistic refugee resettlement policies, and efforts to eliminate stigma and discrimination against North Korean refugees.