North Korean Defector Youths and South Korean Youths’ Morals, Legal Consciousness and Ideas of Authority (in Korean)
Seoul National University Unification Studies Series – 21
Authors: Lee Sun-hyeong, Kim Chang- dae, Jin Mi-jeong
Book Introduction
The morals and ethics embodied by an individual cannot be unrelated to those of the community to which he or she belongs. Reflections and efforts to live as a moral being are made not only on a personal level, but also on a community level. In this book, the authors analyzed quantitative and qualitative data about North Korean defectors and South Korean youths. They did this by focusing on the themes of morality, legal consciousness and perceptions of authority. The authors performed this research in order to find out what kind of morality modern North Korean society is aiming for via education at the community level, be it officially or informally. The authors note that North Korean defectors may have experienced a complex moral development process as they passed through North Korean society, Chinese society, and South Korean society.
As a result, the authors identified the process of moral development of North Korean defector and confirmed aspects of North Koreans’ legal consciousness and recognition of social authority. They did this all while revealing similarities and differences in the social perception of North Korean defector youths and South Korean youths.
North Korean defector youths showed remarkable self-reliance in overcoming difficulties beyond environmental constraints while experiencing crisis events in their early childhoods, enlivening hopes for unification. .
