South Korea’s truth commission has released a landmark report concluding that the government played a role in facilitating a foreign adoption program rife with fraud and abuse. The investigation, prompted by complaints from 367 adoptees, found human rights violations in 56 cases, and aims to review the remaining cases before its mandate expires. However, limitations in the investigation prevented the commission from fully establishing the government’s complicity in the adoption program.
The commission found that South Korean officials viewed foreign adoptions as a cheaper alternative to building a social welfare system for needy children. Private adoption agencies were given extensive rights over children in their possession, leading to large-scale overseas placements of children in need of protection. The government failed to provide meaningful oversight as agencies engaged in dubious or illicit practices, such as falsifying children’s backgrounds and identities, and overcharging foreign adopters.
The commission recommended that the government issue an official apology and develop plans to address the grievances of adoptees whose biological origins were falsified. It also urged the government to investigate citizenship gaps among adoptees sent to the United States and implement measures to assist those without citizenship.
The government has never acknowledged direct responsibility for past adoption issues, and the Ministry of Health and Welfare, responsible for adoption matters, did not immediately comment on the report. The findings highlight the need for accountability and support for thousands of adoptees who were carelessly separated from their biological families.
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