OBJECTIVES: North Korean people's thought and opinions on their contry, society, and economy were studied through North Korean defectors. METHODS: At Hanawon, 163 defectors were surveyed with 2 questionnaires in May 2002. RESULTS: North Koreans believe that socialism it was a right choice for North Korea. Because of the gap between the ideal and economic reality, however admitted sense of frustration. They think that the communist value system and the communal consciousness have been shrinking gradually, and their attitude to South Korea was one of ambivalence. Peoples views are different according to age and institutional education they received. CONCLUSION: For the day of unification, we suggest the followings. First, South and North Korea should put in more effort for building a common nationalistic consciousness. Second, reasonable criticism against communism and the advantages of alternative systems which are expected to be accepted by North Koreans through education after unification, need to be prepared. Third, the development of psychological conflicts and the frustration of North Korean people after unification are anticipated and their solutions must be saught after. Fourth, continuos studies for the understanding of North Korean people's psychological characteristics and it's change is needed.
Communism ; Consciousness ; Democratic People's Republic of Korea ; Education ; Frustration ; Korea* ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Socialism

Mongolia is a huge, landlocked, middle-Asian country bordering Russia in the north, and China in the south. Mongolia was under socialism from 1921 to 1990, and its political system has started moving toward capitalistic democratism in 1990. The history of the Mongolian Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery can be divided into four periods; the incipient period(1956~1971), the period of early development(1971~1981), the period of active development(1981~1991), and the period of reformation(1991~). Mongolian Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery had been developed by the cooperation of Soviet Union and Eastern European countries before the 1990s, but the role of Korea, Japan, and western countries has been increasing from the 1990s. In Mongolia Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery is well recognized to the people and is considered as one of the specialized medical field. There are specialized departments of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery in State Central Hospital, Child & Maternal Research and Clinical Center, and Oncology Center in Ulaanbaatar. Now, the basic knowledge and surgical technique of the Mongolian Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeons are satisfactory. But because of the difficult social and economic situation, there is a shortage of surgical instruments and materials, and acquirement of new knowledge is not easy. In 1998 the Mongolian Association of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeons was established and its members want to have international relationship to keep up with the new medical information. Mongolia and Korea have ethnic, linguistic and cultural similarity, so the interchange and cooperation between Mongolian and Korean Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeons are recommended to make a beautiful one-world.
Child ; China ; Humans ; Japan ; Korea ; Linguistics ; Mongolia ; Political Systems ; Russia ; Socialism ; Surgery, Oral* ; Surgical Instruments ; USSR

Anton's syndrome is arguably the most striking form of anosognosia. Patients with this syndrome behave as if they can see despite their obvious blindness. Although best known for his description of asomatognosia and visual anosognosia, Gabriel Anton (1858-1933) made other significant contributions to the clinical neurosciences, including pioneering work in neurosurgery, neuropsychology, and child psychiatry. However, it has not been recognized in the English literature that Anton was also a dedicated advocate of eugenics and racial hygiene. This paper provides a case of Anton's syndrome and puts the works of Gabriel Anton into their historic context.
Blindness ; Blindness, Cortical ; Cerebral Infarction ; Child ; Child Psychiatry ; Endocarditis ; Eugenics ; Euthanasia ; Humans ; Hygiene ; National Socialism ; Neuropsychology ; Neurosciences ; Neurosurgery ; Strikes, Employee

Very little information is available regarding psychiatry in North Korea, which is based on the legacy of Soviet psychiatry. This paper reviews the characteristics of psychiatry in former socialist countries and discusses its implications for North Korean psychiatry. Under socialism, psychiatric disorders were attributed primarily to neurophysiologic or neurobiological origins. Psychosocial or psychodynamic etiology was denied or distorted in line with the political ideology of the Communist Party. Psychiatry was primarily concerned with psychotic disorders, and this diagnostic category was sometimes applied based on political considerations. Neurotic disorders were ignored by psychiatry or were regarded as the remnants of capitalism. Several neurotic disorders characterized by high levels of somatization were considered to be neurological or physical in nature. The majority of "mental patients" were institutionalized for a long periods in large-scale psychiatric hospitals. Treatment of psychiatric disorders depended largely on a few outdated biological therapies. In former socialist countries, psychodynamic psychotherapy was not common, and psychiatric patients were likely to experience social stigma. According to North Korean doctors living in South Korea, North Korean psychiatry is heavily influenced by the aforementioned traditions of psychiatry. During the post-socialist transition, the suicide rate in many of these countries dramatically increased. Given such mental health crises in post-socialist transitional societies, the field of psychiatry may face major challenges in a future unified Korea.
Biological Therapy ; Capitalism ; Democratic People's Republic of Korea ; Hospitals, Psychiatric ; Humans ; Korea ; Mental Health ; Neurotic Disorders ; Psychotherapy, Psychodynamic ; Psychotic Disorders ; Social Stigma ; Socialism ; Suicide