5) Raising the Problem of Human Rights Violations of Children During the
Process of Overseas Adoption and the Direction of Improvements
A) Emergence of Human Rights Issues of Overseas Adoptees
For about 70 years from the end of the Korean War to 2022, about 170,000 children were
adopted overseas. About 60% of children adopted in Korea are adopted overseas. In the past,
there were many success stories of children abandoned by war and poverty, adopted abroad,
meeting good adoptive parents, receiving quality education, and returning to Korea as
adults.330)
However, there have been continuous claims of administrative problems that violated the
human rights of adoptees during the overseas adoption process and thereafter. Among
adopted children who grew up overseas, there are many cases in which accurate birth
information cannot be found due to adoption agencies illegally creating false family
registers to expedite the adoption process, and cases where appropriate help was not received
even after experiencing abuse.
In particular, at the end of 2022, discussions related to the human rights issues of children
adopted abroad increased. The 2nd Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Republic of Korea
(hereinafter referred to as the ‘Truth and Reconciliation Commission’) decided to
investigate the human rights violations during the overseas adoption process on Dec. 6. The
Truth and Reconciliation Commission confirmed that the applicants were adopted by
fabricating the identity of an orphan or a third party even though they had biological parents,
and reason for initiating the investigation was explained that the national investigation
committee of the Netherlands had previously uncovered that there had been illegal acts by
the state, etc., and human rights violations against the children and birth parents in the
process of overseas adoption in the past.
Regarding the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's decision to initiate an investigation,
international adoptee organizations urged the Korean government to determine the truth on
whether the Korean government fulfilled its responsibilities in preventing human rights
330) NHRCK, Study on the Human Rights Protection Measures Through Survey on the Human Rights Status of Overseas
Adoptees, Dec. 2022.
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