개신교회는 탈북민의 사회화에 도움을 주는가?

Abstract

The Ministry of Unification has been supporting and settling the North Korean refugees for the past 20 years (1998~2019). Protestant churches and missionary organizations that do missionary work for them are trying to fill the deficient part of the Ministry of Unification’s policy. In the process, most Korean people regard them as the uncomfortable who are living on an unfamiliar environment in South Korea. It is the best way to establish their new identity that overcomes the sufferings of economic, cultural deprivations and identity conflict through church life. This paper considers the policy as a subject to assimilate into the Korean society, even though the policy defines them as compatriots. And it points out that Protestant churches and missionary organizations are targeting them for an indoctrination. Introducing their religious experience as a “responsive experience,” it presents the role of the “meaningful others” to sublimating an example of shifting from a trading faith to a devoted faith through the adjustive and adaptive functions of religion. Therefore, this paper proposes the five elements of religious socialization for them: church attendance, development of religious personality, interaction of human relations, collaboration between Protestant churches and missionary organizations, and finally the social function of the church. This paper finally suggests the religious socialization of church is a task of establishing the refugee’s new identity. In the sense, the missionary policy of Protestant churches and missionary organizations for the refugee must bear in mind the object of love, not an indoctrination and exclusion, since they are not essentially different from us(Korean People) in the presence of God.