The purpose of this study is to explore the adaptation experiences of North Korean youth defectors as consumers in South Korea. Collecting data from in-depth, face-to-face interviews, this study examined how seventeen North Korean youth defectors aged 19–26 years felt about their daily life as consumers. Qualitative content analysis revealed that the main sources of difficulties that the young defectors experienced while living in a consumer society had to do with their disillusionment with the “Korean dream,” unfamiliarity with the market environment, perceptions of discrimination, confusion with the consumer culture, and the pressure to keep up with their South Korean peers. Based on these findings, the study identified the challenges that interfere with North Korean defectors' successful adaptation as consumers and proposed some practical implications.
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