A Systematic Literature Review on the Effective Counseling Factors for North Korean Refugee Youth

Objectives This study was conducted through a systematic literature review to identify effective counselor factors and intervention methods in counseling approaches for North Korean refugee youth. Methods Academic journals and theses related to the counseling of North Korean refugee youth, published between January 2000 and March 2024, were collected. The academic search databases used for the thesis search included the Academic Research Information Service (RISS), the Korea Academic Information Service (KISS), and the Academic Database Service (DBpia). The search terms for selecting research literature were “North Korean refugee youth”, “North Korean defectors”, “setermin adolescents”, and “North Korean refugee students”, combined with the words “counseling” and “psychology”. A total of 25 documents were selected for analysis after applying selection and exclusion criteria. Results Effective counselor factors were categorized into roles, attitudes, and abilities. The roles identified were adviser, advocate, intermediary, and social supporter. Counselor attitudes included the exclusion of preconceptions, stereotypes, and biases, as well as efforts to improve the social environment and perceptions based on truth and trust. Multicultural counseling competency was the most important ability factor. Regarding counseling intervention methods, group counseling was found to be more effective than individual counseling, and a mediated treatment approach was identified as more effective than verbal counseling. Conclusions Counseling for North Korean refugee youth aims not only for psychological and emotional stability but for improving socio-cultural adaptability. Active interest and social participation for North Korean defectors, supported by the multicultural competencies of counselors, are necessary to achieve these dual goals.