The purpose of this study is to analyze characteristics and factors of
keeping separated education of alternative schools for North Korean youth
refugees and to discuss the meaning and orientation of separated education.
Consequently, integrated education should be expended in education of
North Korean youth refugees and aim for education for international
understanding. Institutional ethnography is used as a research method to
observe educational goals of the alternative schools for North Korean youth
refugees, their stance on separated education, and the process in which
actors concerned in the schools are socially organized. The separated
education of alternative schools for North Korean youth refugees can be
classified into two types. Firstly, some schools set their own visions for
integration which are religion or alternative educational value. Secondly,
other schools implement separated education temporarily until their students
get basic abilities to adapt to the regular school in South Korea. The
separated education of alternative schools for North Korean youth refugees
be kept by educational value of schools with coordination relationship of
various actors. Although teachers know limits of separated education, the schools keep their way of education in order to secure constant flow of the
students and stable financial support. However, North Korean youth
refugees studying in the regular school with South Korean peers doesn’t
mean genuine integrated education. When education is implemented based
on mutual understanding of different culture and social environment, and
universal value including justice, human right and peace, it can be seen as
variety of students pursue desirable value of integration. Alternative schools
for North Korean youth refugees and general schools should establish
educational culture based on value of education for international
understanding. Ultimately, diverse students should seek integrated education
which can control conflict and understand each other through frequency
contact in the same place.