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From the Cold War era of the "veteran heroes" to the present view of escaped North Koreans in terms more akin to "refugees" and sometimes even just "migrants", perceptions of North Korean defectors in South Korea have changed as swiftly as the number and origins of Northerners entering the South have expanded. At the same time, government policy for these ethnic "brethren" has evolved considerably, particularly as South Korea has seen fundamental shifts in its independent identity, with important repercussions for the way its citizens view themselves as a collective. This article explores some of the key influences behind changes to policy and perceptions regarding North Korean people in South Korea over the period from 1997-2012, by applying international relations theory on national identity and its role in policy formation and change through the need to secure different parameters within that identity.

The 2014 United Nations Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in North Korea (UN COI) had a decisive impact on South Korea's approach to North Korea's human rights abuses in the several years following its release. This article interprets moves within South Korea to support the UN COI's recommendations as taken in the interests of ontological security, or a stable sense of identity, which has also driven the state's broader initiatives on image management and nation branding. It extends the boundaries of nation-branding research by considering why and how a state may adopt policies that enhance its moral visibility and reputation in world affairs. It considers how a positive reputation is enhanced by demonstrating good international citizenship, promoting the visibility of state identity parameters beyond its culture and core industries. This article interprets the South Korean government's efforts to act on North Korean human rights following the UN COI, as well as the significance of being seen to be doing so at home and abroad as security-giving behaviour asserting its moral authority in relation to North Korea. It explores how a longstanding policy of relative silence on North Korea's human rights record acceded to identity-driven pressures * CONTACT

This article investigates the capacity and willingness of women from Englishspeaking countries, married to Korean men, to integrate into South Korean society, via examination of the expression of national identity in everyday life and the negotiation of relationships across socio-cultural boundaries.