Factors Associated with North Korean Refugees’ Intention to Resettle Permanently in South Korea

Abstract

Issues for North Korean refugee integration and resettlement have, in recent times, been a subject of great attention in South Korea. Previous studies documented that North Korean refugees faced significant obstacles in resettlement because of maladjustment and marginalisation, socioeconomic status differences between the North and the South, prejudice, suspicion, national identity, and strong nationalism. This study attempts to fill the research gap by examining factors that impede or facilitate the successful resettlement of North Korean refugees in South Korea using a holistic approach (i.e. market and means, social connections, facilitators, and foundations). To this end, we analysed a sample of 405 North Korean refugees. Univariate comparison of descriptive statistics and logistic regressions were performed. Factors such as foundations (i.e. citizenship and other rights) were found to have strong positive associations with successful resettlement after controlling for sociodemographics and other characteristics. The study concludes that citizenship and rights need to be considered for the successful resettlement of North Korean refugees in South Korea.