North Korean defectors are known to suffer from psychological distress due to the social factors they experience. We investigated psychological distress experienced by female North Korean (NK) defectors in three different migration phases (i.e., North Korea, intermediate countries, and South Korea). Eight female adult North Korean defectors were interviewed for this study in 2020. Interview results were analyzed using quantitative content analysis. A crosscase analysis was conducted to find major themes regarding the psychological distress in each migration phase, and three major themes for the changes in the psychological distress were identified. Female North Korean defectors were found to experience a feeling of helplessness in North Korea and intermediate countries and felt frustrated as encountering the harsh reality in South Korea, but they found peace of mind, positive power, and faith in them. The results suggest that anxiety and stress may remain even after resettling in South Korea, but female NK detectors find hope for in difficulties. We discussed how to address their psychological distress in South Korea based on the findings.