South Korea acknowledges responsibility for fraudulent foreign adoption practices

In South Korea, a landmark report released by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission concluded that the government is culpable for facilitating a foreign adoption program fraught with fraudulent and abusive practices. This report, which is the result of a nearly three-year investigation, involved the review of 367 adoptee complaints from regions including Europe, the United States, and Australia. The investigation's findings reveal significant human rights violations, having confirmed abuses in 56 out of the 367 cases, highlighting systemic issues exacerbated by a lack of oversight in adoption practices. Amidst the backdrop of post-war South Korea, a country struggling with poverty and limited resources, the government viewed foreign adoptions as a cost-effective solution for vulnerable children, particularly those born to unwed mothers or impoverished families. This led to the endorsement of policies that allowed private adoption agencies to operate with minimal oversight, often resorting to illicit methods to expedite the adoption process. Such practices included falsely labeling children as abandoned, manipulating the true identities of adoptees, and failing to secure proper consent from biological parents. The agencies benefitted financially from these processes, driven by the prospect of maximizing their profits through adoptions to foreign families. The commission's report also noted that the chaotic nature of the adoptions left many adoptees with falsified identities, leading to difficulties in tracing their biological roots and claiming their rights. Since 2012, less than 20% of the 15,000 adoptees who sought help from the government have successfully reunited with family members, indicating widespread challenges faced by these individuals in navigating their past. Activists and adoptees bore witness to ongoing repercussions from these historical injustices, advocating for government accountability and the necessity of an official apology from the South Korean government for the suffering caused by these policies. Despite the recent revelations, tension remains regarding the government's response to the report. While the commission made recommendations for reforms and further investigations, including those related to citizenship gaps for those adopted abroad, it did not mandate any immediate changes of a significant nature. Some commission members expressed frustration over the conservative approach taken, fearing that it would exclude many cases that needed further exploration. The findings directly challenge the government's previously unacknowledged role in the abuse and fraud that has characterized South Korea's international adoption history.