KWDI Korean Women’s Development Institute

Though the ratio of women of North Korean immigrants was 12.5% before 2000, from 2006 the ratio has increased annually so that now it takes up to 70.1%. Also 29.5% of those immigrants from North Korean exiles in their adolescence, thus almost one-third of them are going through their school age and adolescency in South Korea. Notably, the ratio of North Korean adolescent female immigrants' regular schooling is relatively lower than the ratio of males, and the ratio of those female immigrants without family or friends living in South Korea tend to be high. Such statistical data indicates gender difference. Yet previous studies on adolescent immigrants from North Korea excluded from the government's policy and those on female immigrants, the majority of the North Korean immigrant population, are rare, so in turn it is hard to find a policy support taking their socio-economic difference into account. Under this subject matter, this study aims to reconsider the understanding of adolescent female immigrants from North Korea and analyze problems and obstacles they face before the settlement in South Korea, what they need, and so on; on this foundation this study endeavors to draw plans to support adolescent female immigrants from North Korea. This study reanalyzes in light of gender the original source, 『2011 Survey of the lives of North Korea Refugees : Adolescents』produced by North Korea Refugees Foundation, to empirically scrutinize gender difference of adolescent immigrants from North Korea, after addressing previous studies on immigrants from North Korea and noting theoretical background. For this study, in-depth interviews targeting thirty adolescent female immigrants from North Korea and two adolescent male immigrants are carried out; what's more, Focus Group Interview (FGI) with twenty-five on-the-spot experts who have led adolescent immigrants from North Korea support project for a long time are carried out. Through these interviews, this study explores such specific conditions of adolescent female immigrants from North Korea as their living conditions in North Korea, processes of transition to South Korea, everyday lives after entering South Korea, their experience of service and needs of support, etc. which has not been dealt in previous analysis. Besides, this study analyzes how the gender sensitive policy of adolescent immigrants from North Korea has been carried out by researching on the current condition and service result of 2011 projects in Hana centers in South Korea. 

Through these various surveys, this study found the following facts and problems related to support for North Korean adolescent female immigrants. First, the reason of higher ratio of female in the whole population of immigrants from North Korea is relevant to gender structure in North Korea. North Korean women take charge of housekeeping, child-raising as well as playing a role of breadwinner so that poverty-stricken conditions often cause them to cross the borderline, which unexpectedly leads to immigration to South Korea. Second, after the exile, many women during long-term stay in China, face such risks as human trafficking and purchasing marriage; in some cases, they are forced to use their sexuality to secure their stay against Chinese security police's crackdown and citizens' report. Especially, those who are without family or friends have been targeted by human trafficking, and they are more suspectible to broker's sexual assaults or requirement of sexual intercourses than those accompanying family. Third, the male immigrants' ratio of so-called direct entry to South Korea from North Korea is higher than female ones'. The direct entry mostly means bringing North Koreans to South Korea via parents' or family members' invitation and in this case many parents tend to prioritize bringing their sons. This fact shows that female adolescents are more suspectible to the threat to their status, lack of schooling and deterioration of their mental and physical health. Fourth, female adolescents accompanying family tend to have conflicts with other family members after the immigration to South Korea. They are likely to experience conflicts in the process of living together with their mother again after being detached from her for a long time. Or they have trouble in reestablishing intimacy in their relationships with a new family members in case of divorce and remarriage after the entry to South Korea. The interviews show that many adolescent immigrants from North Korea want family counselling. The result from Hana center survey also shows high need of this counselling; for example, 50 immigrants in average per center participate in family counselling. Fifth, adolescent female immigrants from North Korea tend to suffer from achievement gap so that they cannot catch up with the class though acknowledging the importance and significance of schooling; this can lead to dropping out of school. In reality, the ratio of female dropouts due to the achievement gap is higher than the ratio of male dropouts (23.8% for male and 35.3% for female) and the ratio of female adolescent immigrants who want to continue their schooling via general equivalency diploma and others is far lower than ratio of males (male 52.4% and female 35.6%). Especially, female adolescents have tendency to be reluctant to come out at school so that they tend to lose the chance of support for their initial adaptation. Sixth, in forming networks, lower ratio of adolescent female immigrants from North Korea (42.2% from North Korea 22.4 % from the third nation) gets teachers' advice or academic support than the ratio of males; also the ratio of estrangement from South Korean friends experienced by females is higher than the ratio of males so that their social network is more limited than males'. Seventh, to adolescent female immigrants from North Korea who need more money to pay to broker, send money to North Korea, manage to live in South Korea, the sex industry in South Korea appears attractive. Particularly, it is hard to disconnect them from the sex industry that preys on vulnerable adolescents such as adolescents without family and friends. Eighth, many adolescent female immigrants from North Korea cannot gain sufficient emotional support from their families because of long-term detachment from the family, family break-up, and so on; this often leads to the desire for intimacy that makes them vulnerable to living together without being legally married. This also tends to result in unwanted pregnancy, abortion, or other birth-related problems. Ninth, the adolescent support service provided by local adaptation center (Hana center) is reported not to be provided equally between males and females so that reception rate of male adolescents is higher than that of female adolescents regardless of service types; besides, even existing services do not meet female adolescents' demands. Moreover, the survey on employees' awareness of gender equality in the centers shows that though their awareness is higher than the average, gender sensitivity in work area is relatively low. Upon this result, this study proposes the following policy measures.

First, policy promotion system to support North Korean immigrants embedding the awareness of gender equality should be established. It is necessary to reconsider the awareness of gender equality by establishing Women Policy Officer as a focal point to promote gender equality policy in Ministery of Unification and establish and produce gender based statistics about North Korean immigrants. What's more, through Gender Impact Assessment and others, gender perspective needs to be introduced in the performance of support project for North Korean immigrants; simultaneously such education as gender equality awareness class or gender sensitivity training targeting managing or supporting staff in the process of policy promotion should be conducted. Second, 'adolescent gender awareness service' in local adaptation centers(Hana center) need to be expanded. Currently, because adolescent gender awareness service in local adaptation centers(Hana center) has a huge difference in reception rates between males and females, the female adolescents' accessibility need to be reconsidered and measure to enhance managers' gender sensitivity in local adaptation center should be used. Third, the supportive system for female adolescents without family and friends must be consolidated. The standard for the support of adolescents without family and friends should be eased and enhancement program for those adolescents should be established and carried out by special task team. Fourth, risk intervention system for adolescent female immigrants from North Korea should be established. For this system, risk intervention task force team under Ministry of Gender Equality and Family and Ministry of Unification need to be established. Also, special counsellors and supportive staff for them need to be recruited and trained; moreover, it is necessary to make those girls continue their education by 'introducing family-school helper system' for the purpose of reconsidering provision of education for those adolescent female immigrants from North Korea who drop out of school, Besides, such various policies as consolidation of psychological treatment and mental health support service for female adolescents and parent-education program for development of gender-equal family culture are required.