Quality of Life of North Korean Defectors in South Korea : Three Years Follow-Up Study

Min, Sung Kil; Jeon, Woo Taek; Eom, Jin Sup; Yu, Shi Eun

Abstract

OBJECTIVES
This study evaluated the quality of life (QoL) of North Korean defectors in South Korean society in the year 2007 for purposes of comparing it to their QoL in 2004 and identifying demographic variables that influence QoL.
METHODS
We used the Korean version of WHOQoL-BREF to evaluate the QoL of 106 North Korean defectors. Other instruments included a questionnaire for discerning demographic data, life experiences, and physical health.
RESULTS
For last 3 years, more defectors had higher education, married, and higher income. However, their unemployment numbers did not decrease, while their number of believers in a religion did decrease. QoL scores remained low in the areas of negative feelings, financial resources, dependence on treatment and drugs, recreation and leisure activities, and opportunities for new information and skills, but were high in areas of cognitive mental functions, personal beliefs, work capacity, self-esteem, and transportation. Path analysis suggested that the psychological domain influenced overall QoL while other domains influenced overall QoL indirectly, through the psychological domain. Since 2004, defectors' QoL in the physical domain and in opportunities for education and transportation had improved, while QoL with regard to pain and discomfort, mobility, and negative feelings had worsened. Variables that were negatively correlated with QoL included male sex, higher age, being married, experiencing army service in North Korea, and shorter stays in third countries. In South Korea, QoL was negatively correlated with current physical illness but positively correlated to having a family, a stable job, higher income, and someone to talk with.
CONCLUSION
These results suggest that defectors' QoL would be improved by tailored services according to their sex and age, focusing on educational programs to provide new information and skills, support for building families, health services, and community support.