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Looking for a Safe Haven : An Ethnographic Research on the Transnational Networking strategies of North Korean Migrant(Defector) Families in South Korea and Japan

Research Project

Project/Area Number 17401033
Research Category

Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)

Allocation TypeSingle-year Grants
Section海外学術
Research Field Cultural anthropology/Folklore
Research InstitutionTohoku University

Principal Investigator

LEE Inja  Tohoku University, Graduate School of Education, Instructor (80322981)

Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) SASADA Hiromichi  Tohoku university, Graduate School of Education, professor (80154011)
Project Period (FY) 2005 – 2006
Project Status Completed (Fiscal Year 2006)
Budget Amount *help
¥11,300,000 (Direct Cost: ¥11,300,000)
Fiscal Year 2006: ¥5,400,000 (Direct Cost: ¥5,400,000)
Fiscal Year 2005: ¥5,900,000 (Direct Cost: ¥5,900,000)
KeywordsEast Asia / North Korea / North Korean Defector / Home-coming Movement to North Korea / South Korea / Migration / Ethnography / 移住 / 帰国運動 / 離散家族
Research Abstract

Recently, we revisited North Korean defectors living in Japan and Korea. Most of these interviewees are North Koreans who are living in the Reeducation-institution (Hana-won) far North Korean or those of 150 who are living in Japan. Due to the fact that most of them want to keep their origin secret, we could not reveal their identity in this report protect our informant's privacy and safety.
From these interviews, we found that North Korean defectors were not satisfied with where they live looking far safer place to live. More than half of them said to us that they wanted to migrate to the countries other than Japan or South Korea. One of the reasons was that it was difficult for them to live as North Korean defectors in the two countries, especially those who are living in Japan.
Unite States has become the most preferred third country. It is mostly due to the fact that the United states started accepting North Korean defectors as asylum seeker. On Sept. 2004, The Law of Human Rights fo … More r North Korea was enacted, this legislation enabled many North Korean defectors in South Korea and Japan to seek "American Dream". It is, therefore, our future important subject to clarify how the North Korean people, who had an opportunity far defecting and going for study to USA, create the network and how they change the relation with their own families, who are living in Korea, Japan, or China.
Surprisingly, half of interviewees living in Japan said to us that, if not punished, they want to go back to North Korea. They said it was too difficult far them to settle down in Japan. This is why they are engaged in endless networking activities with their connections in China or other third countries looking for a "Safe Haven".
It has been our pleasure to share these findings with you. We will make every effort to exchange the research findings with the North Korean Defectors Research Association. Through this we hope to share these findings with other researchers and practitioners who wants to understand North Korean defector families living in Japan. I wish this interdisciplinary effort will be very instructive for inquiring into our next theme : "How to support the North Korean defectors to their self-support". Less

Report

(3 results)
  • 2006 Annual Research Report   Final Research Report Summary
  • 2005 Annual Research Report
  • Research Products

    (2 results)

All 2006

All Journal Article (1 results) Book (1 results)

  • [Journal Article] The Korean Diaspora And Strategies for Global Networks2006

    • Author(s)
      Inja LEE
    • Journal Title

      International Research Center for Japanese Studies

      Pages: 247-259

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(欧文)」より
    • Related Report
      2006 Final Research Report Summary
  • [Book] 在外コリアンのディアスポラと国際ネットワーク戦略2006

    • Author(s)
      李 仁子
    • Publisher
      国際日本文化研究センター
    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(和文)」より
    • Related Report
      2006 Annual Research Report 2006 Final Research Report Summary

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Published: 2005-04-01   Modified: 2016-04-21  

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