A qualitative study on the experience of defection and staying in a third country of an unaccompanied female adolescent North Korean refugee in South Korea

ABSTRACT This study explores the defection background and experience of staying in a third country of an unaccompanied female adolescent North Korean refugee, ‘Mi-Hyang’, and the study investigates the human rights violations in the border area between North Korea and China. Qualitative research was conducted. The analysis focused on the significant events that influenced Mi-Hyang’s decision to defect and her eventual immigration to South Korea. Mi-Hyang’s story illustrates the phenomenon of the feminisation of survival, global care chains, and the human trafficking of minors. The results of the study help to understand the characteristics of unaccompanied female adolescent NKRs and provide primary data for preparing policies and services that support their resettlement in South Korea.