Immigrants In Korea Research Articles

Presence of Anxiety or Depression Feelings and Its Associated Risk Factors among Immigrants in Korea: A Nationwide Cross-Sectional Study.

The influx of immigrants into Korea has increased in recent years, affecting Korean society and the healthcare system. This study analyzed the frequency of anxiety and depression in immigrants, which negatively affects their quality of life. We analyzed data from a 2020 survey on the Health Rights of Migrants and the Improvement of the Medical Security System. Bivariate analyses and a multiple logistic regression model were used to identify the risk factors associated with the presence of anxiety or depression among immigrants. We included 746 immigrants, 55.9% of whom were female. The overall rate of anxiety or depression was 31.77%, with 38.3% in females, which was significantly higher than the 26.62% in males. The frequency of anxiety and depression was also strongly associated with certain immigrant groups, including immigrants of African or Western Asian origin (over 64%); those with student visas (60.53%); those who self-reported poor health (52%), physical or mental disabilities (69.23%), or chronic diseases (58.43%); and those facing difficulties accessing medical services (59.47%). This study showed the frequency of feelings of anxiety or depression and associated risk factors among immigrants. These findings may have implications for policymakers in reducing the likelihood of developing anxiety or depression in the future and improving the quality of life of immigrants in Korea.

A Study on Integration Programs in Germany and Sweden for a betterment of KIIP(Korea Immigration and Integration Program)

A Study on Integration Programs in Germany and Sweden for a betterment of KIIP(Korea Immigration and Integration Program)

An Analysis of Research Trends on Medical Services for Immigrants in Korea

An Analysis of Research Trends on Medical Services for Immigrants in Korea

한⋅베 식문화 비교를 통한 사회통합프로그램 교재 개선 방안 연구

Objectives The purpose of this study is to compare the food cultures of Korea and Vietnam and to explore ways to supplement the content of food culture education in the textbooks ‘Korean Language and Culture’ Beginner 1⋅ 2 and Intermediate 1⋅2, which are used in the Korea Immigration and Integration Program. Methods This study compared the food cultures of Korea and Vietnam through a literature review and analyzed the content of food culture education in the ‘Korean Language and Culture’ textbooks Beginner 1⋅2 and Intermediate 1⋅2. Based on this analysis, it identified areas of deficiency in the textbooks and proposed educational strategies to enhance learning effectiveness. Results The comparison of food cultures between Korea and Vietnam revealed significant differences in food styles, cooking methods, and dining customs between the two countries. Additionally, it was identified that there are areas in the food culture education content of the ‘Korean Language and Culture’ textbooks that require improvement. Conclusions In this study, strategies and methods for educating Vietnamese female marriage immigrants on food culture through the ‘Korean Language and Culture’ textbook were proposed. By expanding and enhancing the content of the textbook, not only can the effectiveness of learning be increased, but also adaptability can be enhanced by introducing practical experience programs where learners can directly experience and learn about Korean dining culture. In the future, more systematic development of educational materials and expansion of practical experience programs will be necessary, and conducting comparative studies on various cultures through online education platforms will further enhance the effectiveness of food culture education.

Evaluating the effect of settlement services in South Korea: Focused on Korea Immigration & Integration Program

To improve immigrants’ integration, Korea Immigration & Integration Program (KIIP) has been delivered since 2009 in South Korea (hereafter Korea), yet little research has empirically estimated its net effect. Hence, the main aim of this study is to empirically and directly evaluate its net effect, using an Inverse-probability weighted analytical technique controlling selection bias that may distort its net effect. Utilizing the “Estimating social and economic effect of KIIP”, published by the Ministry of Justice, Korea in 2017, this study selects immigrants including participants (n = 800) and nonparticipants (n = 214). The findings indicate that the effect of KIIP is dubious. Specifically, KIIP plays a role in raising the level of naturalization of immigrants, accepting Korean culture, and satisfying their lives. However, there are statistically non-significant differences in employment, monthly income, keeping home country’s culture, social networks, Korean language skills, discrimination, and the sense of belonging to the Korean society between participants and nonparticipants. This shows both the effectiveness and ineffectiveness of KIIP. To find a way to improve integration, this study suggests strengthening advantages and offsetting disadvantages, in managing KIIP.

Incidence of Tuberculosis Among Immigrants in Korea Who Participated in a Latent Tuberculosis Infection Screening Program.

With a rapid decrease in tuberculosis (TB) incidence, the significance of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) has been underscored in South Korea. Although South Korea does not have a high proportion of immigrants compared to other countries, there is a growing argument that it should actively embrace immigrants as a solution to address issues of low birth rates and population aging. This study aimed to assess TB incidence among immigrants who participated a pilot LTBI screening program in South Korea. Records of immigrants participated in a pilot LTBI screening program in South Korea between 2018 and 2019 were linked with Korean National TB Surveillance System to determine TB development. Participants underwent interferon-gamma release assay (IGRA) and chest X-rays. Standardized incidence ratios (SIRs) stratified by age, country of origin's TB burden was calculated with a reference group of general South Korean population. Of a total of 9,517 participants, 14 TB cases were identified. Participants with positive IGRA results who did not initiate LTBI treatment showed TB incidence of 312.5 per 100,000 person-years, whereas those with negative results showed TB incidence of 34.4 per 100,000 person-years, resulting in an incidence rate ratio of 9.08 (95% confidence interval [CI], 2.50-32.99). SIR of TB among total participants including those with negative IGRA results was 2.60 (95% CI, 1.54-4.38; P < 0.001), whereas SIR among those with positive IGRA results was 5.86 (95% CI, 3.15-10.89; P < 0.001). In the calculation of SIR among participants with positive IGRA results, those aged under 35 from high TB-burden countries or intermediate TB-burden countries showed a high SIR (18.08; 95% CI, 2.55-128.37; P = 0.004), and 11.30 (95% CI, 2.82-45.16; P < 0.001), respectively). Contrary to previous reports that suggest the majority of elderly population with a positive IGRA result were due to remote infection and had a lower TB risk compared to younger ages, SIR among those aged 65 or over from intermediate TB-burden countries was 6.15 (95% CI, 0.87-43.69; P = 0.069), which was comparable to that in younger participants aged between 35 and 49 (SIR, 4.87; 95% CI, 1.22-19.49; P = 0.025) or those aged between 50 and 64 (SIR, 4.62; 95% CI, 1.73-12.31; P = 0.002). Young immigrants with positive IGRA results from countries with high or intermediate TB burden showed a relatively high TB risk compared to a general South Korea population. In addition, unexpected high TB risk was observed among elderly immigrants with positive IGRA results. In establishing future policies for LTBI in immigrants in South Korea, screenings should primarily focus on younger age group (who aged under 35). Additionally, further research is needed on the high TB risk observed in elderly immigrants.

Factors Related to the Health Literacy of Older Immigrants in Korea

Factors Related to the Health Literacy of Older Immigrants in Korea

가족이주 정책의 특성과 한국 가족이주 정책 사례 검토

Family migration policies tend to be restrictive depending on immigrants’ visa status or socioeconomic status despite the Universal Declaration of Human Rights recognizing that the family is entitled to protection by society and the state. The current study introduced global debates over family migration and investigated the Korean family migration policy. Family migration can influence on immigrants’ social integration in both positive and negative ways. Still, the current Korean family migration policy does not reduce the negative influences of family migration on social integration. Further, the policy might deter immigrants’ social integration by confirming the hierarchies among immigrants in Korea. This study argues that the Korean government should fill gaps in family migration policy, especially for the citizens’ parents, immigrant workers, and children and adolescents with migration backgrounds.

효과적인 테러자금 차단 방안에 대한 연구

While there have been no direct terrorist attacks by foreigners illegal immigrants in Korea, some foreigners in Korea have continued to raise funds for terrorism and sympathize with the propaganda of extremist Islamic ideas. In particular, there have been a number of domestic terrorist financing incidents since the law was enacted. Since terrorist financing is a key basis for terrorist organizations' activities and seriously undermines the safety of the international community, it is important to block it for effective terrorism prevention. The purpose of this study is to collect cases of terrorist financing that have occurred in Korea to identify the current situation, derive characteristics through case analysis, and seek countermeasures. For this purpose, we utilized first instance judgments that included acts of terrorist financing. First of all, it is necessary to strengthen information collection activities and collection of key personnel such as fundraisers in order to prevent terrorist financing. In addition, education on preventing terrorist financing should be provided to foreign nationals in Korea. In order to block the flow of terrorist funds, the accounts of traders suspected of financing terrorism should be prioritized during the investigation stage, and intensive monitoring should be conducted on currency exchange operators who may be involved in illegal remittances. Finally, counter terrorism agencies such as the National Police Agency and the National Intelligence Service should identify the characteristics of the domestic terrorist financing environment and strengthen intelligence gathering activities based on this. However, this study is limited by the fact that it focuses on arrested cases and does not identify crimes that were not arrested.

국내 결혼이주여성의 경제활동 여부에 따른 미충족 의료에 미치는 요인

Over the past 20 years, the number of married immigrants in Korea has continuously increased, and participation in the labor market has been mentioned as a major task to achieve social integration. In this study, using data from the 2021 National Survey on Multicultural Families, we examined the factors related to the unmet medical needs by the economic activity of immigrant women residing in Korea according to Andersen’s behavioral model of health services use. Women who are economically active were more likely to experience unmet healthcare needs compared to those who are not economically active (OR=1.19, CI=1.00-1.42, p&lt;0.05). For those who are economically inactive, age, Korean proficiency, social network, and self-reported health were contributing factors to unmet medical needs. Among those who are economically active, age, length of residence, Korean proficiency, social network, and self-reported health were associated with higher odds of unmet healthcare needs. Policy implications for married immigrant women were discussed.

한국 이주민 구술설화의 상징적 표상을 매개로 한 상호문화 감수성 신장의 문화교육

한국 이주민 구술설화의 상징적 표상을 매개로 한 상호문화 감수성 신장의 문화교육

Stress or Buffer: The Impact of Social Transnational Ties on Depressive Mood and Suicidal Ideation Among Female Marriage Migrants in South Korea.

This study examines whether and to what extent transnational ties with the home country influence female marriage migrants' depressive mood and suicidal ideation in South Korea. We analyzed the multicultural adolescent panel survey (2011-2018), which included multicultural adolescents born to a foreign-born parent. We adopted fixed-effects ordered logistic regression models for eight time periods. While suicidal ideation increased over time, no change in depressive mood was found among female marriage migrants. The inflow transnational ties was negatively associated with depressive mood and suicidal ideation. The outflow transnational ties did not significantly predict depressive mood and suicidal ideation. Supporting female marriage migrants to maintain transnational ties with their home country could improve their mental health. More policy support is also essential for vulnerable female marriage migrants with limited human and social capital. Future studies need to expand the impact of other types of transnational ties on mental health among immigrants in Korea.

Unmet Healthcare Needs and Related Factors Among Immigrants: A Cross-Sectional Secondary Analysis of 2019 Korea Community Health Survey Data.

Immigrants in Korea face numerous difficulties in seeking medical services due to language and cultural differences. Providing medical services to them could be beyond the institutional capacity of the host country owing to factors such as, physical and psychological problems, social unrest, language barriers, and problems adapting to unfamiliar environments. According to Andersen's health service use behavioral model, we used a multifaceted approach to explore the factors influencing the unmet healthcare needs of immigrants in Korea from the Korean health system. This cross-sectional secondary analysis study used data from the 2019 Korea Community Health Survey of 3524 immigrants. Their unmet healthcare needs were calculated using a complex, weighted sample design. Group differences in categorical variables were analyzed using the Rao-Scott chi-square test. Logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the association between unmet healthcare needs and ageing factors. Overall, 262 (7.4%) of surveyed immigrants experienced unmet healthcare needs. Factors influencing unmet healthcare needs were being a woman (OR = 1.41, 95% CI = 1.03-1.94), national primary livelihood security receiver (OR = 1.44, 95% CI = 1.29-1.68), stress (OR = 1.34, 95% CI = 1.26-1.45), perceived health status (poor: OR = 2.35, 95% CI = 1.58-3.52), and perceived health status (moderate: OR = 1.62, 95% CI = 1.18-2.20). Policymakers could focus on these predictors when formulating policy strategies to reduce unmet health care needs. In addition, by effectively delivering services that meet the unmet healthcare needs of immigrants, their right to health is protected.

이주민의 약국 이용 및 의약품 사용 경험과 인식

Pharmacy utilization among immigrants in Korea is increasing amid the rapidly rising number of immigrants living in the country. However, few studies have investigated immigrants’ pharmacy utilization. This qualitative study used group interviews to explore immigrants’ experiences and perceptions of drug use and pharmacist services in Korea. The study participants consisted of 30 immigrants who had lived in Incheon and Gyeonggi for at least one year and had used pharmacies. The analysis results are grouped under three themes: “Reasons for visiting and selecting a pharmacy,” “Experience and perception of pharmacy and pharmacists’ services,” and “Experience and perception of taking medicine.” Our study shows that immigrants in Korea face language barriers when visiting pharmacies and struggle with Korea’s prescription-dispensing systems, forcing them to rely on their home country communities. However, immigrants who build a relationship of trust with a certain pharmacy tend to visit it regularly. Therefore, Korean pharmacists must strive to build good relationships with immigrants in order to help them adapt to Korea’s healthcare system.

한국어교원의 사회통합프로그램 교수 경험에 대한 내러티브 탐구

Objectives The purpose of this study is to examine the teaching experience of Korean language teachers teaching Korean in an in-depth and multifaceted manner in Korea Immigration and Integration Program. Methods Using the narrative inquiry method, one of the qualitative research methods proposed by Clandinin and Connelly, in-depth interviews were conducted with five teachers teaching Korean for general purpose at university language institutions and Korean for special purpose in Korea Immigration and Integration Program. In addition, the data were analyzed using the domain analysis and taxonomic analysis method to find patterns, threads, and theme that continued to appear while reading the interview transcription data several times repeatedly. Results As a result of analyzing the experiences of five Korea Immigration and Integration Program teachers, there were four common experiences: Korean classes like air for learners, classes where writing is a dilemma, classes followed by healing, pain and regret, and classes that need an open mind to listen. Conclusions This study is meaningful in that it explored in detail and specifically the experience of Korean language teachers teaching Korea Immigration and Integration Program. This study will help to come up with a more effective and efficient way to teach immigrants learning Korean in the Korea Immigration and Integration Program based on the differences between general purpose Korean classes and special purpose Korean classes in Korea Immigration and Integration Program. In addition, it can be used as a basic material to help understand the rapidly increasing number of learners of Korea Immigration and Integration Program and lay the foundation for Korean language education for them.

이민자를 위한 사회통합 프로그램 교재의 한국 사회문화 관련 내용 분석

The Social Integration Programs run by the Ministry of Justice play an important role in coping with growing immigration in Korea. All immigrants joining the Program use two kinds of textbooks: (1) Korean Language and Culture and (2) Understanding Korean Society. In December 2020, the newly revised textbooks were published; it is necessary to examine if they are assisting immigrants’ anticipatory socialization into Korean society.&#x0D; This study aims to analyze the two newly revised textbooks used for the social integration programs run by the Ministry of Justice and to suggest implications on how to further improve them. For this purpose, the content on Korean society and culture in the revised textbooks were analyzed. These are the major findings. First, Korean Language and Culture mostly deals with Korean society and culture while rarely touching on Korean politics, laws, history and geography. Second, both textbooks partly reflect the comparative view of culture. Third, the holistic view of culture can be found only in the second book (Understanding Korean Society), but not very often. Fourth, Understanding Korean Society covers more current issues and statistics than Korean Language and Culture while Korean Language and Culture deals with more useful items for daily lives and traditional Korean culture than the other. Fifth, considerable relevance when it comes to topics has been found between the two textbooks.&#x0D; In order to develop further improved textbooks on Korean society and culture for future immigrants, the developers of the textbooks should select more current and useful materials on Korean society and culture with holistic and comparative views of culture. In addition, it is necessary for the developers of each book to work in closer cooperation with one another.

Association between divorce and access to healthcare services among married immigrants: propensity score approaches

BackgroundWhile divorce is a social determinant of health among married immigrants in Korea, its association with access to healthcare services is unclear. Given the rapid increase in the number of married immigrants in Korea, research is needed to improve minority groups’ access to healthcare services. Here, we examined healthcare service utilization among married immigrants.MethodsWe retrieved 11,778 adults from the 2018 Korea National Multicultural Family Survey. We analyzed whether the sex of divorced immigrants is associated with healthcare access using multivariable logistic regression analysis. Further, we analyzed the association between divorce and access to healthcare services among married immigrants using propensity score matching methods.ResultsThere were 691 (5.8%) divorced immigrants in the data set. The married male immigrants had no association between divorce status and healthcare access (adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 1.05, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.55–2.03, p = 0.8620). Divorced immigrants were less likely to receive healthcare services than married immigrants (adjusted OR = 1.42, 95% CI = 1.07–1.88).ConclusionOur findings revealed that divorce increases the risk of limited access to healthcare services among married immigrants. Policymakers and healthcare providers should be aware of these potential disparities in this vulnerable minority population.

Measles susceptibility of marriage migrant women in Korea.

International migrants could be considered a risk group susceptible to vaccine-preventable diseases. We conducted a measles seroprevalence study among 419 marriage migrant women living in Sinan-gun and Wando-gun, South Jeolla Province, located in the southwestern part of Korea. The overall seroimmunity was 92.8%. The seroimmunity varied considerably according to the country of origin and increased with age. Our current analysis could be valuable in the context of discussions concerning vaccination policies for immigrants in Korea.

Comparison of Association Between Divorce and Access to Healthcare Services Among Married Immigrants

The number of married immigrants is increasing in Korea, and family dissolution is also growing in this population. Although divorce could impact immigrants' health status, it is unclear whether they have difficulties accessing healthcare and medical services. Thus, we examined whether divorce in married immigrants is independently associated with access to healthcare services. A retrospective analysis of 11,778 adults who participated in the 2018 National Multicultural Family Survey. We used three different covariate adjustment methods (multivariate logistic regression, inverse probability of treatment weighting, 1:1 greedy propensity score matching) to examine the association between divorce and access to healthcare services after accounting for various demographic and clinical characteristics. Overall, 5.8% (n = 691) of married immigrants reported a history of divorce. The divorce group included 107 (15.5%) males and 584 (84.5%) females, with an average age of 45.17 years (SD = 10.9). The non-divorced group included 1992 males (18.0%) and 9095 (82.0%) females, with an average age of 39.1 years (SD = 10.5). After propensity score matching, all variables were balanced (all p>0.05). Individuals who experienced divorce were more likely to have difficulties in healthcare service access than those who did not experience divorce (adjusted odds ratio 1.423, 95% CI [1.075, 1.882]). Our findings revealed that divorce increased the risk of limited healthcare services among immigrants in Korea. Healthcare policymakers should be aware of the healthcare access issues in this minority population. In addition, to improve the lifestyles of minority populations, it is necessary to study their overall lives.

국내 이주민 선교사 제도의 필요성과 가능성

The increase in migrants is a global phenomenon. Korea is no exception. Thus, it is the mission God has given to the Korean church in the 21st century to care for foreign immigrants residing in Korea with the love of Christ and to share the gospel with them and to raise them as God’s missionary people for the world mission. In this paper, the researcher describes the current status of international and domestic foreign migrants, and the mission history of the Korean church for them. Furthermore, he describes the necessity and possibility of the cross-cultural missionary system for foreign immigrants in Korea. Korean church should look at migrants from the perspective of God’s mission (missio Dei). They are not weak migrants, but God’s missionary people who will join God's mission with us in the future.