The adoption industry in South Korea has been embroiled in controversy for decades, with many adoptees left in limbo as they seek the truth about their origins. Ahn Andersen, a 56-year-old Danish adoptee, has made seven trips to South Korea since 2004 in her quest to uncover her past. She was placed in two orphanages and a foster home before her adoption, but she has expressed doubts about the authenticity of her adoption records. This sentiment is echoed by many others who have come forward to challenge the legitimacy of their documentation.
In 2022, over 800 adoptees presented cases to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, highlighting widespread corruption within adoption agencies. A September report revealed that babies were forcibly taken for adoption in the 1980s, raising serious ethical concerns about the practices of these agencies. Furthermore, a recent audit found that the National Commission on Truth and Reconciliation (NCRC) mishandled adoptee records since 2013, prompting organizations like KoRoots to file police reports against the NCRC for corruption.
Since the 1950s, over 200,000 South Korean children have been adopted internationally, with many adoptees now seeking justice and answers regarding their adoptions. One notable case is that of Han Tae-soon, a 70-year-old woman who has sued the government and the Holt International Children's Services over her daughter's adoption in 1976. The results of the NCRC's audit are expected soon, which could shed more light on the troubling history of South Korea's adoption practices [81cf1311].