Since the 1950s, the country has sent more children for adoption abroad than any other
SAO PAULO, SP (UOL/FOLHAPRESS) – A South Korea Government Adoption Program has sent children and babies abroad “as a baggage” for adoption over the last decades, according to a commission that investigated the case.
Mass exports of children. The report released yesterday by the Independent Truth Commission and reconciliation showed that adoption agencies acted motivated by profit, showed a report published by the BBC. The investigation also found examples of fraud, counterfeit records and coercion. Since the 1950s, South Korea has sent more children for adoption abroad than any other country.
Children were recorded as orphans by agencies, even having parents. There are cases, for example, when babies died before the trip and other children were sent in place. The commission recommended that the South Korean government make an official apology.
Investigation began in 2022. Since then, 367 adopted – all sent abroad between 1964 and 1999 – entered petitions alleging fraudulent practices in their adoption process. About 100 petitions have already been analyzed, of which 56 adopted were recognized as victims of human rights violations. The commission is still investigating other cases, with the inquiry expected to end in May.
It is estimated that more than 170,000 children and babies have been sent for adoption since the 1950s. “This is a shameful part of our history,” Park Sun-Young, chairman of the commission, told a press conference.
“Although many adopted were lucky to grow in love families, others have suffered great difficulties and trauma due to faulty adoption processes. Even today, many continue to face challenges.”
After the Korea War, South Korea was one of the poorest countries in the world. At the time, few families were interested in adopting children. For this reason, the South Korean government began a transnational adoption program run by private agencies, which received authorizations through special adoption laws. According to the investigation, there was a “systemic failure in supervision and management”.
“For almost 50 years after the Korea War, the government prioritized international adoption as a low cost alternative to strengthening national policies of child well-being,” the commission said in the report. The commission was created by a law of Parliament in 2020.
Foreign agencies required a definite number of children every month and Korean agencies obeyed. The commission mentions that this facilitated “international adoptions on a large scale with minimal procedural supervision”. Without government regulation, Korean agencies charged large amounts and required “donations”, which turned the adoptions into “a profit -oriented industry”, according to the report.
Some adoptions were made without the proper consent of biological mothers. The agencies also made reports that made the children look abandoned and placed for adoption. As many adopted had false identities listed in their documents, they now have difficulty obtaining information about their biological families.
The commission also recommended that the government survey the citizenship situation of the adopted.
Repair measures for victims are also listed in the report as recommendations to the South Korean government. The Truth Commission does not have the power to sue any of the adoption agencies, but the government is required by law to follow its recommendations.
