South Korea Adoption Scandal: Mass Forgery Exposed

A government-led inquiry in South Korea has uncovered a shocking legacy of systemic abuse in the country's international adoption practices, revealing that hundreds of thousands of children were "exported" to foreign countries, with their identities routinely falsified and fundamental human rights violated.

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission's findings, reported by the Associated Press (AP), CNN, and Al Jazeera, detail how, since the 1950s, approximately 200,000 children were sent abroad for adoption, primarily to the United States, Europe, and Australia. 

This practice, initially driven by poverty and the aftermath of war, evolved into a lucrative industry marked by corruption, coercion, and government-endorsed quotas.

The commission's investigation, which analysed 100 cases from 367 petitions filed by adoptees – part of an estimated 140,000 children adopted to six European countries, the US, and Australia – found that the South Korean government routinely forged documents, falsely declaring children as abandoned and even switching infants in cases of death or illness. 

Many adoptees, now adults, have spent years searching for their birth families, only to discover they were victims of identity theft and, in some cases, abduction.

Al Jazeera reported that the commission concluded the government-endorsed foreign adoption programme violated fundamental human rights guaranteed under the constitution and international conventions. 
 

Local adoption agencies colluded with foreign counterparts to mass export children, meeting monthly quotas driven by foreign demand. Children were procured through questionable and unscrupulous means, with agencies granted extensive authority, including full guardianship rights.

"Throughout this process, numerous legal and policy shortcomings emerged, leading to serious violations of the rights of adoptees, their biological parents – particularly birth mothers – and others involved," Commission Chairperson Park Sun-young told a news conference, as reported by Al Jazeera. 

She stated that "These violations should never have occurred.” 

The investigation revealed that 56 of the initial 100 cases were deemed "victims" of government negligence, with evidence of deliberate identity replacement and false reports of parental abandonment. 

Adoption agencies, often reliant on donations from adoptive parents, were found to have bribed hospitals to secure children, creating a system ripe for abuse.

"When adoption agencies rely on donations from adoptive parents, they are pressured to send children abroad to continue operating. This structure increases the risk of illegal adoptions," Commissioner Lee Sang-hoon told CNN.  
 

The impact on adoptees has been profound. Many have struggled with identity issues and trauma, compounded by the realisation that their birth records were falsified. 

As reported by AP, only a fraction of the 15,000 adoptees who have sought assistance in finding their families since 2012 have been successful.  

Al Jazeera also reported that some foreign adoptive parents were found unfit, leading to lengthy overseas court battles. False identities were also given to children.

The commission has recommended that the South Korean government issue a formal apology, expedite citizenship reviews for adoptees, and provide redress for victims. 

While South Korea has since tightened its adoption laws, the legacy of this systemic abuse continues to affect thousands. Several European countries have launched investigations, including Denmark, which called for the investigation in 2022, but the United States, the primary recipient of these adoptees, has yet to do so.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare has not commented on the report, and the government has never directly acknowledged responsibility for these past practices.