"I Should Know, But I Dare Not Ask": From Understanding Challenges in Healthcare Journeys to Deriving Design Implications for North Korean Defectors' Adaptation

While it is known that North Korean defectors (NKDs) struggle with South Korea's healthcare system, the specific challenges of their patient journey remain underexplored. To investigate this, we conducted interviews with 10 NKDs about an 8-step patient journey and identified the clinical consultation step as a critical barrier for all participants, marked by three key challenges: expressing symptoms, managing social and cultural concerns, and overcoming language differences. In response, we developed Medibridge, a mobile prototype that allows users to rehearse with an AI doctor before a real hospital visit to generate a tangible "Helper Note"for their actual consultation. Our evaluation with 15 NKDs showed improvements in perceived communication capability, including greater expression clarity, reduced social and cultural concerns, and enhanced linguistic confidence. Our contributions include an empirical understanding of NKDs' healthcare challenges, a novel AI-powered rehearsal system that prepares users for real-world clinical communication, and design implications for inclusive technologies for displaced populations.