A damning government report has confirmed South Korea operated a systematic overseas adoption program during the 1970s and 1980s that prioritized quantity over welfare.
Foreign agencies reportedly demanded set monthly quotas of children, which Korean adoption agencies fulfilled with minimal procedural oversight, creating an assembly-line approach to international adoptions.
The investigation found the complete lack of government fee regulation allowed agencies to charge exorbitant amounts while soliciting additional “donations,” effectively transforming child adoption into a lucrative commercial enterprise.
Adoption agencies routinely violated ethical standards by proceeding without proper birth mother consent, conducting inadequate screening of adoptive parents, and falsifying documents to make children appear abandoned. Most disturbingly, agencies deliberately provided children with false identities, creating lifelong obstacles for adoptees seeking to reconnect with their biological families.
Lifelong Consequences for Adoptees
The commission’s findings reveal a generation of adoptees now struggling with fabricated personal histories and severed cultural ties. Many face insurmountable barriers when attempting to trace their origins, with falsified paperwork leaving them without legal recourse or access to accurate birth records. The report explicitly recommends the South Korean government issue an official apology and align its policies with international standards for transnational adoptions.
South Korea has taken recent steps to reform its adoption system, including a 2023 law transferring oversight of all overseas adoptions from private agencies to a government ministry. These changes are scheduled to take effect this July, though the government has yet to formally respond to the commission’s disturbing findings.
One of the Victims Recount Harrowing Journey
The human cost of these systemic failures becomes painfully clear through the experience of Inger-Tone Ueland Shin, now 60, whose case was investigated by the commission. Adopted by a Norwegian couple at age 13 through blatantly illegal means, Inger-Tone discovered her adoptive parents – initially rejected by Norwegian authorities for being too old – had simply traveled to South Korea, selected her from an orphanage, and brought her to Norway without proper authorization.
Norwegian authorities eventually rubber-stamped the adoption years later, rationalizing that Inger-Tone had “no connection to Korea anymore.” Her subsequent life in Norway became a nightmare of isolation and alleged sexual abuse by her adoptive father. “They took better care of the dog than they ever did of me,” she told the BBC, describing years of silent suffering.
In a landmark 2022 case, Inger-Tone successfully sued her local Norwegian government for failing to supervise her adoptive home, though her abusers never faced criminal consequences before their deaths. While welcoming the commission’s findings, she remains haunted by her stolen childhood: “I have been living in the wrong country and I have had a painful and miserable life.” Her plea echoes across the adoption community: “I sincerely hope they do not adopt any more children out of Korea.”
