South Korean inquiry to look into more foreign adoptions with suspect origins

South Korea’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission is investigating 237 more cases of South Korean adoptees who suspect that their family origins were manipulated to facilitate their adoptions in Europe and the United States.

Investigation details: The commission’s expanded inquiry covers adoptees in 11 countries, including the United States, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, who were adopted between 1960 and 1990.
* Over 370 adoptees from Europe, North America, and Australia filed applications last year demanding their cases be investigated.
* The applicants claim their adoptions were based on falsified records meant to expedite custody transfers across borders.

Potential consequences: The findings could allow adoptees to take legal action against agencies or the South Korean government, which would otherwise be difficult in civil court due to the burden of proof being on plaintiffs who often lack information and resources.

Historical context: Most South Korean children were placed with white parents in the United States and Europe during the 1970s and ’80s when military dictatorships ruled the country and used adoptions as a tool to reduce poverty and deepen ties with the democratic West.

View original article on NPR

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