AP Discovers Adoption Fraud Separated Generations of Korean Families

SEOUL, South Korea — An extensive investigation led by The Associated Press has revealed that the South Korean government, along with Western nations and adoption agencies, facilitated the international adoption of around 200,000 Korean children over several decades. This took place despite mounting evidence that many of these adoptions were conducted using questionable, and sometimes unethical, methods.

The findings have triggered a significant reassessment of practices in the international adoption industry, as many Korean adoptees who sought their roots have uncovered unsettling truths about their origins.

This investigation, carried out in collaboration with PBS’s Frontline, involved interviews with over 80 adoptees across the United States, Australia, and six European countries. It also included discussions with adoptive parents, adoption agency staff, humanitarian workers, and government officials. Furthermore, it drew on more than 100 information requests and thousands of documents, including many that had not been seen before and some that were recently declassified.

The AP’s examination highlighted serious allegations: many children were reported to have been kidnapped from the streets, while others learned that they were misinformed about the fate of their newborns, being told the babies were either deceased or gravely ill before they were placed for adoption. In some instances, adoptees discovered that documents had been falsified, leading to traumatic reunions under false pretenses.

The South Korean Health Ministry declined to provide specific answers regarding past practices, stating it would await the conclusion of a fact-finding commission. However, the ministry did acknowledge that the dramatic rise in adoptions during the 1970s and 1980s may have been influenced by a desire to reduce welfare expenditures.

While adoption agencies have long defended their work as a necessary means of finding homes for vulnerable children, they did not comment on specific cases highlighted by the investigation.

The origins of South Korea’s adoption policy can be traced back to the aftermath of the Korean War, when many biracial children born to Korean mothers and foreign soldiers were placed with American families. Over time, the program expanded to include children from unwed mothers and impoverished families, ultimately relying heavily on private adoption agencies.

In an effort to increase the number of adoptable children for Western families, Korean authorities modified domestic laws to align with those in Western nations. This included endorsing “proxy adoptions,” which allowed families to adopt children without traveling to Korea. Regulations were amended to eliminate basic oversight and safeguards.

Even at the outset, concerns about the system’s ethical implications were raised. An internal memo from 1966 by the International Social Service, based in Geneva, suggested that the South Korean government evaluated adoption agencies not by child welfare standards, but based on financial contributions. Officials were aware that children classified as abandoned might have living parents and noted that some agencies misrepresented the origins of children as being born to unwed mothers.

Former workers in the adoption industry disclosed that agencies aggressively sought out children, often without verifying their backgrounds or orphan status. One former agency employee recounted how efforts were made to collect children from every part of the country, revealing a disturbing lack of oversight.

Private records from the largest adoption agency, Holt Children’s Services, indicated that many biological parents who surrendered their children expressed deep regret and sought their children back. Agency personnel reportedly convinced these parents that their children would be far better off in prosperous Western homes.

As these ethical dilemmas became apparent, humanitarian workers expressed serious concerns. Francis Carlin, who led the Catholic Relief Services in Korea at the time, commented on the disturbing imbalance between the actual number of legitimate orphans and the high demand from Western countries, which led to severe compromises and unethical practices among larger agencies.

Throughout the 1980s, a significant number of children were obtained directly from hospitals, often involving illegal monetary exchanges for babies. Despite claiming that adoptions were intended to rescue kids from orphanages, records indicate that in 1988, over 4,600 children were taken from hospitals, making up 60% of the agencies’ supply.

Furthermore, Holt Children’s Services was found to have made nearly 100 illegal payments to hospitals in just six months of 1988. Despite the agencies’ common practice of designating children as “abandoned,” records showed that over 90% of Korean children placed for adoption internationally likely had at least one living relative.

The revelation of these troubling practices has fueled calls for inquiries into the adoption system in South Korea. Robyn Joy Park, who was adopted and later sought to establish a connection with her supposed biological mother, was devastated to discover that they were not connected by blood. Her experience reflects the stories of numerous adoptees who have found themselves grappling with mistaken identities or false promises.

In response to growing complaints and the demand for accountability, over 360 adoptees have urged South Korea’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission to investigate the troubling circumstances surrounding their adoptions, shining a light on a dark chapter of history that continues to affect many lives today.