S. Korean develops mental test kit for N. Korean defectors

SEOUL, Dec. 24 (Yonhap) -- South Korea has developed a psychological test for
North Korean defectors designed to assess their mental health and problems that
may arise from traumatic experiences, the Unification Ministry said Thursday.
The test called BPSI-NKR, or Brief Psychological State Inventory for North Korean
Refugees, determines their mental status in nine areas such as post-traumatic
stress, anxiety, depression, inter-personal sensitivity, anger and family issues,
the ministry said in a press release.
"Traditional psychological tests were developed in foreign countries and could
not properly reflect the mental issues of North Korean defectors. The
foreign-developed tests are hard for them to understand and took up much time,"
the ministry said.
The new test kit, jointly developed by the Hanawon resettlement center and
Chonnam National University, involves simple questions, takes 10 minutes to
answer and is computer-graded, it said.
The test will help "determine those who would need psychological help among North
Korean defectors," it added.
The Hanawon resettlement center is the first stop for North Koreans who fled
their country and came into South Korea. The center, which provides three months
of rehabilitation training, has been strengthening psychological therapy and
counseling programs. While staying in China or third countries under constant
fear of repatriation, North Korean defectors often become targets of abuse and
human trafficking rings.
More than 16,000 North Koreans have fled to South Korea since the 1950-53 Korean
War, with the annual number of defectors increasing year by year. According to
the latest ministry data available, 1,672 people defected to the South as of July
this year.
hkim@yna.co.kr
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