Regaining Personhood: A Longitudinal Ethnography of North Korean Defectors’ First-Year Digital Transition in South Korea

Paper Title

Regaining Personhood: A Longitudinal Ethnography of North Korean Defectors’ First-Year Digital Transition in South Korea

Publication Info

• Topic area: Digital adaptation challenges of North Korean defectors in South Korea
• Keywords: North Korean defectors, digital transition, resettlement, digital literacy, longitudinal ethnography, sociotechnical systems, vulnerability, digital identity, human-computer interaction, marginalized populations

Background and Problem

• Problem / challenge: North Korean defectors (NKDs) face significant challenges adapting to South Korea’s hyper-digital society due to limited prior exposure to digital technologies and prolonged periods of undocumented life in China. Existing support systems fail to address the sociotechnical and cultural gaps they encounter.
• Significance: Digital adaptation is critical for NKDs to achieve self-reliance and integration into South Korean society. Failure to navigate this transition can lead to long-term exclusion and vulnerability.
• Motivation and related work: Prior HCI research has explored refugee resettlement and digital inclusion but has largely overlooked the unique experiences of NKDs, particularly their transition to legal and digital personhood. This study aims to fill this gap by examining how NKDs navigate digital systems during their first year in South Korea.

Solution

• Proposed approach: An eight-month longitudinal ethnographic study of five newly arrived North Korean defector women to understand their digital adaptation process and identify tailored support strategies.
• Novelty:
  1. Provides empirically grounded accounts of NKDs’ first-year digital adaptation, addressing a critical gap in HCI research.
  2. Conceptualizes first-time digital identity as a site of vulnerability shaped by past marginalization.
  3. Proposes context-sensitive, phased approaches to digital adaptation that prioritize self-reliance and evolving needs.
• Procedure and key techniques:
  • Longitudinal engagement with five NKD women through interviews, digital assistance sessions, and informal communication.
  • Reflexive thematic analysis of data, focusing on participants’ evolving challenges and strategies.
  • Examination of how prior experiences in North Korea and China influence digital adaptation in South Korea.

Results

• Concrete findings:
  • Participants struggled with bureaucratic and digital systems due to limited prior exposure and unfamiliarity with South Korea’s sociotechnical norms.
  • Digital visibility introduced new vulnerabilities, such as susceptibility to scams and confusion over digital processes.
  • Participants’ digital literacy did not transfer seamlessly from China to South Korea, highlighting cultural and procedural mismatches.
  • Over time, participants adapted through everyday routines and self-motivation, but digital systems remained a significant barrier.
• Advantage over baselines:
  • Highlights the importance of culturally grounded, context-sensitive support over standardized digital literacy programs.
  • Identifies the need for phased, goal-oriented assistance tailored to newcomers’ evolving needs.
• Experiments / evaluation:
  • Data collected through semi-structured interviews, digital communication, in-person assistance, and reflexive fieldnotes.
  • Analysis focused on participants’ lived experiences and the sociotechnical challenges they faced.
• Limitations and future work:
  • Small sample size (five participants) limits generalizability but provides deep insights into an underexplored population.
  • Future research should explore gendered differences in digital adaptation and extend findings to other marginalized groups.

Summary

This study investigates the first-year digital adaptation of five North Korean defector women in South Korea, revealing how their transition to legal and digital personhood is shaped by prior marginalization and unfamiliarity with hyper-digital systems. The findings highlight the cultural and procedural mismatches that hinder digital literacy transfer and the vulnerabilities introduced by newfound digital visibility. The study advocates for context-sensitive, phased support that addresses both immediate survival needs and long-term goals for independence. These insights contribute to HCI by expanding the understanding of digital exclusion and informing the design of inclusive systems for marginalized populations.