As of March 2024, 34,121 North Korean refugees reside in South Korea, with 72% being female. Despite being granted South Korean citizenship upon arrival, these refugees face social exclusion and marginalization, effectively forming a second class within South Korean society. Among them, 12% are enrolled in schools and suffer from academic deficits, compounded by discrimination and stereotypes against their North Korean identity. The study explores their daily experiences with newfound South Korean citizenship, employing Straussian grounded theory and insights from 17 semi-structured interviews. The findings reveal that social exclusion and marginalization persist due to their distinct North Korean ethnic markers. Refugee students experience academic challenges due to different curriculums, lack of parental support, and school’s unreadiness, all exacerbated by a cold reception toward their North Korean identity. This results in a disparity between their legal citizenship and school participation. In response, they adopt a strategy of ‘being one of them,’ leveraging ethnic homogeneity to interact freely with their South Korean peers. These interactions enable the formation of supportive networks and foster the development of an inter-Korean identity reflective of both Koreas. This hybrid identity guides refugee students’ engagement in activities that utilize their transnational knowledge. The study highlights the critical role of multicultural education in achieving educational equality and advocates for social bridging programs to acknowledge and embrace the differences of refugees, who, despite being granted citizenship, continue to be treated as outsiders within South Korean society.

Authors:
Hagyun Kim, Massey University, New Zealand
Kwanghyuk Kim, Jeonju University, South Korea

About the Presenter(s)
Dr Hagyun Kim is a senior lecturer at the School of Social Work, Massey University. He earned a PhD in occupational Science from AUT University, New Zealand. His research methodology is grounded theory, particularly Straussian grounded theory.

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