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Chapter 8 - Competition Dynamics between North Korean Refugees and South Koreans

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 May 2025

Ahlam Lee
By
Ahlam Lee ,
Eun-A Park  and
HyunJung Jo
Ahlam Lee
Affiliation:
Xavier University
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Summary

Little is known about how competitive attitudes differ between refugees and their host citizens. Study 1 investigated the relationship between refugee background and competitive attitudes, alongside demographic characteristics, social comparison concerns, and exposure to competition, using data from 190 North Korean refugees (NKRs) and 445 South Koreans (SKs). Refugee background and social comparison concerns had significantly more effect on competitive attitudes compared to other demographic characteristics and the ranking variable. In Study 2, cultural scores based on Hofstede’s theory were examined, alongside demographic factors, refugee background, and social comparison concerns. Refugee background and social comparison concerns showed stronger associations with competitive attitudes than cultural scores. Study 3 divided the sample into NKRs and SKs, revealing social comparison concerns’ predominant influence on competitive attitudes in both groups. However, the impact of the ranking variable varied between NKRs and SKs. These findings underscore the importance of understanding the experiences of refugees in shaping their competitive attitudes, from migration to resettlement.

Keywords

North KorearefugeecompetitionSouth Korearankingsocial comparison
Type
Chapter
Information
Questioning Conventional Assumptions of Competition Dynamics , pp. 195 - 224
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2025

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