DOCSLIB.ORG

© 2010 Jin Heon Jung

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
© 2010 Jin Heon Jung © 2010 Jin Heon Jung FREE TO BE: NORTH KOREAN MIGRANTS AND THE SOUTH KOREAN EVANGELICAL CHURCH BY JIN HEON JUNG DISSERTATION Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Anthropology in the Graduate College of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2010 Urbana, Illinois Doctoral Committee: Professor Nancy Abelmann, Chair Associate Professor Martin Manalansan Assistant Professor Ellen Moodie Associate Professor Andrew Orta Visiting Professor Kenneth Wells, UC Berkeley ABSTRACT This dissertation is an ethnographic study of the Christian conversion of North Korean migrants who arrive in South Korea by way of China in the context of a transforming Northeast Asia. In this dissertation I observe that while past anticommunist South Korean regimes have publicly celebrated North Korean defectors as national heroes and heroines, today it is only the evangelical church that invites them to criticize the North. I argue that North Korean migrants‘ conversion to Christianity is a cultural project with considerable political and ideological hues that reveals the key characteristics of South Korean anticommunist evangelical nationalism. Based on 2006–2007 ethnographic fieldwork in Seoul, South Korea, and Yanbian, China, I approach evangelical nationalism as a process of ―becoming‖ rather than ―being‖ South Korean Christians. Therefore I approach the Cold War legacy and the politics of global Christianity through the personal trajectories of North Korean migrants. By focusing on the re-subjectification projects of individual migrants, I am able to demonstrate the ambiguity and contested process of Christian conversion. My ethnography asserts that the evangelical church, in concert with international anticommunist and North Korean human rights advocates, renders North Korean migrants as ―freed‖ from the communist regime, and ―revives‖ their religiosity by replacing Kimilsung-ism (the ideology of Kim Il-sung) with South Korean Christianity. In turn, my study examines the migrants‘ evangelical conversion as a contest over what constitutes ―true‖ or authentic Christianity and what Korean-ness should look like in a transforming East Asia. ii At the heart of competing practices and discourses between North and South Korean Christians are unexpected cultural differences that undermine the myth of ethnic homogeneity and generate social discrimination. The call for spiritual integrity in turn is also complex: in the face of the decline and social critique of the South Korean church, some North Korean Christians have claimed a leadership role in ―Korean‖ religious revival by evoking their ―Christian passage,‖ namely a narrative of their escape from the North to the South through biblical language. iii To My Wife Her Sumi and our son Jung-Huh Julian Doyeon iv PREFACE AND ACKNOWLEDGMENTS In this dissertation, I document the meeting of North Korean migrants and the South Korean evangelical church at a pivotal historical moment: when the prevailing cultural logic of the anti-North Korean Cold War ideology waned, and the public standing of the South Korean evangelical church faltered. The era of my dissertation research, however, is historical in that today the quite unpopular South Korean President, Lee Myung-bak (Yi Myŏngpak), has arguably reinstated a regime with both Cold War and evangelical accents. Nonetheless, the encounter I document here is one that I think speaks to the present situation and contains ethnographic truth. As for Korean Romanization, I follow the McCune-Reischauer (MR) system which is widely accepted in the academy. The MR system is now available as an online dictionary initiated by the Council of East Asian Libraries.1 Most of the Korean words in this dissertation have been Romanized with this system, except for some official names of people, places, and pronouns. For example, I use Yanbian instead of Yŏnbyŏn, for the Korean-Chinese Autonomous Prefecture in Northeast China, as it is written in most English media. Similarly, I use Juche instead of Chuch‗e for the North Korean national ruling philosophy as it appears in North Korean official documents and websites. As for Korean names in references, I use their official Romanized names where possible. This dissertation can be seen as only the first part of my long journey and a task I have worked on and will continue to engage. North Korean migrants who made this first part possible deserve my special appreciation. At the same time I have to confess how 1 http://www.romanization.org/ v painful it was to keep a ―research distance‖ from those who were seeking immediate help in China and occasionally in South Korea. Many of them were very cautious about saying what they wanted, but nearly always said what they were expected to say. Nonetheless, beyond their verbal language I was able to feel, read, and share their feelings, agonies, criticisms, and hopes. Unfortunately, this dissertation is still largely an attempt to bring out their issues around the themes of religion and nationalism in the post-Cold War era and may not fully elaborate on the various issues at hand. This project has been funded by many institutions: the Wenner-Gren Foundation Dissertation Fieldwork Grant, the Graduate College of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (through a Dissertation Travel Grant and University Fellowships), and the Department of Anthropology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (Summer Research Fund and Summer Fieldwork Grant from the National Science Foundation), and the Max-Planck-Institute for the Study of Religious and Ethnic Diversity (through a Doctoral Fellowship). It has been a privilege to have their support for my project. I owe special thanks to my committee members for their indefinite moral and intellectual support: Nancy Abelmann, Martin Manalansan, Ellen Moodie, Andrew Orta, and Kenneth Wells. Words cannot fully express my particular gratitude to my advisor and the chair of my dissertation committee, Nancy Abelmann. She is the ideal advisor, and I have benefitted enormously from her help in developing my research project, writing grant proposals, and pushing myself to sustain my life as a graduate student. I have learned an immeasurable amount by working with her as a research assistant for a project on Korean-American family mental health, as a teaching assistant for her class, as a co- vi researcher for a project on South Korean college student cosmopolitanism, and as a co- organizer of the University of Illinois Korean Workshop. Martin Manalansan inspired me to broaden my understandings of theories of refugees, diasporas, cultural citizenship, and identity politics. It was also my great pleasure to work as his teaching and research assistant, as those experiences gave me the chance to learn from his valuable theoretical insights and experience his passion for teaching. Ellen Moodie‘s warmhearted support and rigorous scholarship played a crucial role in the development of my arguments and in the completion of this dissertation. It was also a great opportunity to work twice as her teaching assistant and participate in her 2008 panel at the AAA conference. Her influence on my understanding of the anthropology of human rights and conflicts were critical as well. I also appreciate Andrew Orta‘s insightful and serious questions about the anthropology of Christianity and nationalism. Alas, I have been very slow to learn from his suggestions, but thanks to his critical comments on my project, I was able to approach Christian conversion and missionary encounters through individual narratives and subjectivity transformation. My project would have not developed with sufficient historical depth without Kenneth Wells‘ special insights and critical discussions about nationalism and Christianity in Korean history. To him in particular I owe all of my historical understanding of the relationship between self-constructed Korean nationalism and Christianity. Last but not least, I want to express my thanks to Chung Byung-ho, who introduced me to anthropology and North Korean migrant issues as an MA student at Hanyang University. His tireless endeavors and passionate practice in academia and society have always inspired and motivated me to combine theory and practice for public anthropology. vii I have also greatly benefited from a number of colleagues and helpers during this dissertation writing stage: I want to thank the former and present ―Nancy‘s Advisees Meeting‖ members including Seun Ju Chae, John Cho, Hee Jung Choi, Yoonjung Kang, Heejin Kim, Hyunhee Kim, Shanshan Lan, Kyou Ho Lee, Soo Jung Lee, Sangsook Lee- Chung, Soo-kyung Lim, Noriko Muraki, Teresa Ramos, So Jin Park, Yoonjeong Shim, Josie Sohn, Jesook Song, Akiko Takeyama, and Han-sun Yang. Their collective contributions and friendship made my writings much more concrete and made campus life much more pleasant. I also appreciate my dissertation writing club members―Angela Glaros, Steven Maas, and Batamaka Some. During our meetings at Angela‘s apartment, I was privileged to have their great comments on my drafts. Hyeon-ju Lee and Hee Jung Choi helped me translate some essential documents into English and Lillian Bertram has worked hard to revise and edit my rough draft chapters in time. I also want to thank Liz Spears, Graduate Secretary in the Department of Anthropology. It was always very pleasant to have her assistance and her smile that made all the administrative work so much easier. I had the luck of making many wonderful friends and meeting
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Preparing for the Possibility of a North Korean Collapse
    CHILDREN AND FAMILIES The RAND Corporation is a nonprofit institution that EDUCATION AND THE ARTS helps improve policy and decisionmaking through ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT research and analysis. HEALTH AND HEALTH CARE This electronic document was made available from INFRASTRUCTURE AND www.rand.org as a public service of the RAND TRANSPORTATION Corporation. INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS LAW AND BUSINESS NATIONAL SECURITY Skip all front matter: Jump to Page 16 POPULATION AND AGING PUBLIC SAFETY SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY Support RAND Purchase this document TERRORISM AND HOMELAND SECURITY Browse Reports & Bookstore Make a charitable contribution For More Information Visit RAND at www.rand.org Explore the RAND National Security Research Division View document details Limited Electronic Distribution Rights This document and trademark(s) contained herein are protected by law as indicated in a notice appearing later in this work. This electronic representation of RAND intellectual property is provided for non-commercial use only. Unauthorized posting of RAND electronic documents to a non-RAND website is prohibited. RAND electronic documents are protected under copyright law. Permission is required from RAND to reproduce, or reuse in another form, any of our research documents for commercial use. For information on reprint and linking permissions, please see RAND Permissions. This report is part of the RAND Corporation research report series. RAND reports present research findings and objective analysis that address the challenges facing the public and private sectors. All RAND reports undergo rigorous peer review to ensure high standards for re- search quality and objectivity. Preparing for the Possibility of a North Korean Collapse Bruce W. Bennett C O R P O R A T I O N NATIONAL SECURITY RESEARCH DIVISION Preparing for the Possibility of a North Korean Collapse Bruce W.
    [Show full text]
  • CIA Officer Thrust Into Spotlight Ahead of Kim Summit
    Mystery “Grim Reaper” CIA Officer Thrust into Spotlight Ahead of Kim Summit By Zero Hedge Region: Asia, USA Global Research, June 09, 2018 Theme: Intelligence, US NATO War Agenda Zero Hedge 7 June 2018 In-depth Report: NORTH KOREA While President Donald Trump seems intent to make a deal with North Korea seemingly at any cost, the CIA has apparently deployed one of its most hawkish North Korea hands to be at the president’s side during the summit, allowing the intelligence community to rein in any of the president’s excesses as it angles for a historic diplomatic achievement. In a piece published late Wednesday, Bloomberg profiles Andrew Kim, a CIA officer who first came to prominence when he was photographed sitting alongside Secretary of State Mike Pompeo during Pompeo’s first meeting with Kim Jong Un in Pyongyang. Source: Zero Hedge Kim has become an integral part of the White House’s North Korea team – a role that is unusual for an intelligence official. “It does seem unusual,” said Bruce Klingner, the former CIA deputy division chief for Korea and now a fellow at the Heritage Foundation. “Just as the policy community isn’t supposed to infect the intelligence community, the intel community provides information to enable policy makers to make the best informed decisions possible but are not supposed to provide advice.” Born and raised in South Korea, Kim is distantly related through his mother’s side of the family to Chung Eui-yong, South Korea’s national security adviser. He also briefly attended the same prestigious Seoul high school as Suh Hoo, the leader of Korea’s national intelligence service.
    [Show full text]
  • Korean Nova Records in A.D. 1073 and A.D. 1074: R Aquarii
    A&A 435, 207–214 (2005) Astronomy DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361:20042455 & c ESO 2005 Astrophysics Korean nova records in A.D. 1073 and A.D. 1074: R Aquarii Hong-Jin Yang1, Myeong-Gu Park2, Se-Hyung Cho1, and Changbom Park3 1 Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute, 61-1 Hwaam, Yuseong, Daejeon 305-348, Korea e-mail: [hjyang;cho]@kasi.re.kr 2 Department of Astronomy and Atmospheric Sciences, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 702-701, Korea e-mail: [email protected] 3 School of Physics, Korea Institute for Advanced Study, Seoul 130-722, Korea e-mail: [email protected] Received 30 November 2004 / Accepted 31 December 2004 Abstract. R Aqr is known to be a symbiotic binary system with an associated extended emission nebula, possibly produced by a historic outburst. To find the associated historic records, we searched for and compiled all Guest Star and Peculiar Star records in three Korean official history books that cover almost two thousand years, Samguksagi, Goryeosa, Joseonwangjosillok. In addition to the record of A.D. 1073, previously noted by Li (1985, Chin. Astron. Astrophys., 9, 322), we have found in Goryeosa another candidate record of A.D. 1074, which has the same positional description as that of A.D. 1073 with an additional brightness description. We examined various aspects of the two records and conclude that they both are likely to be the records of outburst of R Aqr. This means that there were two successive outbursts in A.D. 1073 and in A.D. 1074, separated by approximately one year.
    [Show full text]
  • The Fragmentary Politics of Law, Memories, and Migrant Laborers In
    Democracy, History, and Migrant Labor in South Korea: Korean Chinese, North Koreans, and Guest Workers1 Hyun Ok Park New York University This paper concerns the paradox of democratization in South Korea, whose progression has been entwined with neoliberal capitalism beginning in the 1990s. There have been critical moments of democratization since the military rulers gave in to popular pressure for democratization. These moments range from the recommencement of the popular electoral system in the Presidential election in 1987 to the transfer of the state power to civilian leaders, and the participation of former dissidents in the parliament and the administration. A particular form of democratization addressed in this paper is not electoral state politics but the broad-reaching initiatives to transform the relationship between the state and society.2 Specifically, I examine the initiative to rewrite colonial and cold-war history. This particular initiative is part of an effort to correct a longstanding 1 An earlier draft of this paper was presented at the Korean Studies of Stanford University and the East Asian Studies of the University of Pennsylvania in spring 2004. This paper is drawn from my research funded by the American Council of Learned Society Fellowship and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. 2 For an insightful critique of the current democratization process, especially its political process, see Choi Jang Jip, Minjuhwa ihuui minjujuui (Democracy after democratization) (Seoul: Humanitas, 2003). 1 tendency of previous military regimes that suppressed the resolution of colonial legacies and framed Korean national history within an ideological confrontation of capitalist South Korea and communist North Korea.
    [Show full text]
  • The North Korean Nuclear Issue North Korean Society March 5, 2019 Clark W
    The North Korean Nuclear Issue North Korean Society March 5, 2019 Clark W. Sorensen Beginning of North Korea’s Nuclear Ambitions l Nuclear ambitions go back to early DPRK history l DPRK asked for and got assistance in nuclear technology from the Soviet Union starting in 1956, but the Soviet Union (who first detonated a nuclear bomb in 1949) was careful to keep weapons technology out of DPRK hands l Soviet Union was also helping China, but by 1959 Khrushchev reneged on giving China access to nuclear weapons, yet he nevertheless agreed to establish a North Korean (civilian) nuclear program l By 1963 the East Germans were aware that the North Koreans were interested in processing North Korean (low grade) uranium l In 1961 the Soviet Union signed a mutual defense treaty with DPRK, but they were wary of being drawn into an unwanted war by DPRK (as the US was with ROK) l DPRK military buildup begins in 1962 implying they felt the Soviet commitment was less than iron- clad Sino-Soviet Split l Along with Destalinization, Nikita Khrushchev had inaugurated in 1956 a foreign policy of “peaceful coexistence” with capitalism (in light of the possibility of nuclear war) l Before that Lenin and the Bolsheviks advocated world revolution through workers’ “internal revolutions” within their own nations l China had a mixed policy—peaceful coexistence and non-support for local revolutions in Asia (Zhou Enlai), but Mao Zedong believed in the inevitable conflict of capitalism and communism (as did Cuba) and felt the Korean War proved his point l The Soviet
    [Show full text]
  • Introduction to Korean History by Charles
    HIST 108: Introduction to East Asian History – Korea Spring 2017 Charles Kim (University of Wisconsin-Madison) The Cheonggye Stream in Seoul: From the turn of the 20th century to the early 21st century Course Description: Korea has a long and rich history that provides a unique vantage point for understanding major processes in East Asia and the world. This course explores Korean history from the fourteenth century to the present. The first part of the course delves into Confucian social changes during the Joseon (Chosŏn) Dynasty (1392- 1910). The second part focuses on social realities for Koreans under Japanese colonial rule (1910-1945). The final part turns to the contemporary era (1945 to present) to shed light on national division, social movements, and everyday life in South Korea and North Korea. Course Objectives: 1) Acquire a solid understanding of the major eras, political events, social realities, and intellectual trends in Korean history, 1392 to present. 2) Hone your ability to identify historically significant information in primary sources, short stories, and films. 3) Engage in historical thinking. 4) Make connections between texts, course topics, and broader issues of the past and present—within and beyond Korea. 5) Learn interactively. Required Texts: Kyung Moon Hwang, A History of Korea: An Episodic Narrative, 2nd ed. (New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2017). Referred to in Course Schedule as “Hwang.” Other readings and films will be made available for students to view electronically on or through Canvas on Learn@UW: https://learnuw.wisc.edu/ Course Requirements: 1) Participation: 13% 2) Facilitate Discussion: 2% (A number of you may end up doing this with a partner).
    [Show full text]
  • 2010-2011 Course Listings
    A n n u a l R e p o r t 2 0 1 UCLA 0 Institute - for Research 2 0 on Labor and 1 Employment 1 Table of Contents Letter from the Director.....................................................................................................................1 About IRLE.........................................................................................................................................2 History................................................................................................................................................3 Governance.........................................................................................................................................5 Governance Structure.......................................................................................................6 IRLE Leadership................................................................................................................8 Department Organization Chart.....................................................................................9 Staff Awards .......................................................................................................................10 Financial Issues .................................................................................................................11 Extramural Support..........................................................................................................12 Academic Activities...........................................................................................................................13
    [Show full text]
  • Arxiv:2104.05964V3 [Cs.CL] 7 May 2021 1 Introduction Discover the Important Historical Events Over the Last Hundreds of Years
    Restoring and Mining the Records of the Joseon Dynasty via Neural Language Modeling and Machine Translation Kyeongpil Kang Kyohoon Jin Soyoung Yang Scatter Lab Chung-Ang University KAIST Seoul, South Korea Seoul, South Korea Daejeon, South Korea [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Soojin Jang Jaegul Choo Youngbin Kim Chung-Ang University KAIST Chung-Ang University Seoul, South Korea Daejeon, South Korea Seoul, South Korea [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Abstract records in a digital form for long-term preservation. A representative example is the Google Books Li- Understanding voluminous historical records brary Project1. However, despite the importance of provides clues on the past in various aspects, such as social and political issues and even the historical records, it has been challenging to natural science facts. However, it is generally properly utilize the records for the following rea- difficult to fully utilize the historical records, sons. First, the nontrivial amounts of the documents since most of the documents are not written are partially damaged and unrecognizable due to in a modern language and part of the contents unfortunate historical events or environments, such are damaged over time. As a result, restoring as wars and disasters, as well as the weak durability the damaged or unrecognizable parts as well as of paper documents. These factors result in difficul- translating the records into modern languages are crucial tasks. In response, we present a ties to translate and understand the records. Second, multi-task learning approach to restore and as most of the records are written in ancient and out- translate historical documents based on a self- dated languages, non-experts are difficult to read attention mechanism, specifically utilizing two and understand them.
    [Show full text]
  • Get Program Pdf Here
    Minnesota Association for Korean Americans (MAKA) TH CELEBRATING TOMORROW 26 SCHOLARSHIP AWARDS Sunday, March 14, 2021 Virtual Ceremony|www.makaweb.org Mission Statement MAKA was formed in 1995 as the Mothers Association for Korean Americans to serve the young Korean American community in Minnesota. In recognition of the significant service of fathers and primarily serving the state of Minnesota, organization was officially renamed the Minnesota Association for Korean Americans (MAKA) at the end of 2006. The unchanged mission is to promote and encourage young Korean Americans to learn about and take pride in Korean Culture. MAKA seeks to achieve its mission by: • Providing scholarships and grants to deserving young Korean Americans. • Facilitating connections and ties between the Korean community and the Korean adoptive community. MAKA welcomes anyone interested in advancing our goals to join us. Scholarships 2021 The Korean American Scholarship for High School Seniors. The Minnesota Association for Korean Americans (MAKA) is awarding a limited number of scholarships to Minnesota high school seniors of Korean origin/heritage who plan to pursue higher education. The Scholarship Committee has reviewed the materials submitted by all applicants and will award non-renewable $1,500 scholarships to 14 students selected for 2021. These scholarships are intended to enhance the positive self-esteem of students of Korean heritage and to encourage their pursuit of a college degree. Each year, all interested individuals are encouraged to apply. President, Eunah Oh Scholarship Committee Chair: Saahoon Hong Master of Ceremonies, Laura Oh WELCOME GREETING FROM the MAKA PRESIDENT including Sponsors introduction Eunah Oh MUSIC PROGRAM Gayageum Solo—Dr.
    [Show full text]
  • Downloaded From
    KOREAN IMMIGRANTS’ SOCIAL PRACTICE OF HERITAGE LANGUAGE ACQUISITION AND MAINTENANCE THROUGH TECHNOLOGY by SUNAH PARK CHO A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY in THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES (Language and Literacy Education) THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA (Vancouver) June 2008 © Sunah Park Cho, 2008 ABSTRACT Studying issues of heritage language (HL) maintenance is gaining more significance than ever as our lives become significantly more complex and dynamic because of frequent migration and the transnational diasporas that such migration creates in its wake. HL maintenance is important in multicultural environments because familial relationships depend heavily on successful communication among family members. Viewing HL maintenance as a social practice, this exploratory qualitative study attempts to understand how participants are involved in their children’s HL maintenance by investigating, comparing, and contrasting the participants’ attitudes and practices. This study recruited eight Korean immigrant families with different lengths of residence in Greater Vancouver, an area that has seen a steady growth in the numbers of Korean immigrants. Combining social practice theory and qualitative research, this study uses discourse analysis to explore the participants’ language ideologies and beliefs about HL maintenance. This study also explored actual parental involvement in their children’s HL acquisition and maintenance. Furthermore, this study examined participants’ technology use as a means of HL acquisition and maintenance. In particular, the participants’ online conversations were examined to explore language use. This study supports the view that the parental role is important, even paramount, in children’s HL maintenance, but goes beyond this to show how technology can play a positive role in HL acquisition and maintenance.
    [Show full text]
  • North Korean Refugees in China
    1 NORTH KOREAN REFUGEES IN CHINA Introduction During the Commission’s 2018 reporting year, the Chinese gov- ernment’s policy of detaining North Korean refugees and repa- triating them to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) remained in place, despite substantial evidence that repatriated persons face torture, imprisonment, forced labor, execution, and other inhuman treatment.1 The Chinese government regards North Korean refugees in China as illegal economic migrants 2 and main- tains a policy of forcible repatriation based on a 1998 border pro- tocol with the DPRK.3 China’s repatriation of North Korean refu- gees contravenes its international obligations under the 1951 UN Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Pro- tocol, to which China has acceded.4 China is also obligated under the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or De- grading Treatment or Punishment to refrain from repatriating per- sons if there are ‘‘substantial grounds for believing that [they] would be in danger of being subjected to torture.’’ 5 Repatriation of Refugees and Border Conditions This past year, heightened security measures along the China- North Korea and China-Southeast Asia borders increased the risks North Korean refugees face, and may be limiting the outflow of ref- ugees from the DPRK. South Korean Ministry of Unification data indicated that 1,127 North Korean refugees reached South Korea in 2017, continuing a trend of significant decline since 2009 when the yearly number of refugees entering South Korea peaked
    [Show full text]
  • LEARNING LIVES of NORTH KOREAN YOUNG DEFECTORS: a PRELIMINARY STUDY of RECONSTRUCTING IDENTITY in CAREER DEVELOPMENT Hyewon Park1 Junghwan Kim2 Fred M
    LEARNING LIVES OF NORTH KOREAN YOUNG DEFECTORS: A PRELIMINARY STUDY OF RECONSTRUCTING IDENTITY IN CAREER DEVELOPMENT Hyewon Park1 Junghwan Kim2 Fred M. Schied3 ABSTRACT: This study of eleven young North Korean Defectors (NKDs) examines how they engage in daily learning focusing on the process of identity reconstruction through their attempt to engage in career development activities. For the purposes of this paper one case was selected to illustrate how a reconstructed identity is learned. The main research questions for the study were: a) how do young NKDs reconstruct their identity in career development activities? and b) how do young NKDs learn through the identity reconstructing process? This research was based on a Cultural-Historical Activity Theory and data were analyzed by adopting a theory-driven approach. For data analysis, open, focused, and axial coding was conducted. Conclusions are preliminary, as the analysis is ongoing. Keywords: North Korean Young Adult Defectors, Identity Reconstruction, Career Development, Sociocultural Learning, Cultural-Historical Activity Theory Young Adult North Korean Defectors and Career Development Since 1990, the number of North Koreans defecting to South Korea has risen steadily. Since 1998, North Korean defectors (NKDs) in their 20s and 30s now constitute a majority of NKDs. Young adult NKDs are a growing population among NKDs in the South and a distinctive group. They were born in the 1980s and 1990s, right before or shortly after the collapse of the state-socialist economy, an era of marketization and eroding state relevance in the North (Haggard & Noland, 2011; Park, 2013). According to the report of Ministry of Unification (2015), they occupy 57.8 percent of the 27,247 entire NKDs who entered South Korea in 2014.
    [Show full text]