Article

Childcare Experiences of North Korean Female Defectors Living in South Korean Society

Author

배미랑(Bae, Mi Rang),박희현(Park, Hui Hyun)

Information

pp. 65~90 / 2018 Vol.25 No.4

Abstract

The purpose of the study is to search for what childcare is from the point of view of North Korean female defectors and what this means by generally and deeply understanding how North Korean female defectors experience childcare in South Korea, and to explore the essential meaning through a phenomenological method with a psychological approach. This study is based on the existential understanding on human beings of Martin Heidegger who also used the hermeneutics phenomenological method of van Manen. The data for this study are collected from in-depth interviews with eleven North Korean female defectors and a total of five topics, twelve sub-topics, and thirty-eight meaning units. The five topics are ‘Struggle with children toward hope’, ‘Burden of other educational cultures’, ‘Living out against adversity’, ‘Choice and challenge’, and ‘A solid fence role.’ On the basis of the study results, North Korean female defectors are expected to promote the peace and adaption for their family as the desirable parent and to establish an institutional strategy that alleviates the difficulties of rearing children.

Keywords