When Defection Meets Motherhood

More than 30,000 North Korean refugees now live in South Korea, the majority of them women—and many are mothers whose experiences have long been overlooked in both scholarship and public discourse. When Defection Meets Motherhood centers on the lives of these refugees as mothers, tracing how they navigate the complex realities of parenting in a society where their practices are constantly measured against dominant ideals of “good motherhood.” Drawing on in-depth ethnographic research, Jeongeun Lee reveals how their identities are shaped not only by defection and resettlement, but also by displacement, transnational separation, and the emotional labor of reunion—often achieved through risky and costly means. By bringing refugee studies and motherhood studies into dialogue, this book sheds new light on North Korean refugee mothers and shows how they navigate the challenge of “becoming South Korean mothers,” adapting to cultural expectations while actively reshaping their maternal identities through resistance, negotiation, and reconfiguration of belonging.