Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy

Table. 2. Table 2

Perception and actual condition of sex and contraception of North Korean defector women in North Korea

Education and recognition of sexuality	• Forbidden to publicly mention sexual issues as a patriarchal, closed social atmospheres in North Korea.
	• The concept of ’sex education’ was almost non-existent or still poor in North Korea.
	• No actual education on contraception, and the lesson hours for female students were concentrated only on child care and housework in North Korea.

Examples of application and experiences of contraception	• Since women have poor basic knowledge of contraception, the private sector attempted contraception in the wrong way.
	• Loop contraception was often used in married women, but the overall level of medical skills was poor and there was a lack of understanding of management after loop insertion, leading to unwanted pregnancy and obstetrics.

Summary	• Because of the high rate of contraception failure due to information on contraception or the inability to receive sex education properly, unwanted pregnancies and abortions were repeated, often resulting in adverse effects on women’s health.