The Truth and Reconciliation Commission begins a full-scale investigation into ‘human rights violations of overseas adoption agencies in Korea.

Efforts to identify the reality of the overseas adoption process based on government investigations.

The 2nd Truth and Reconciliation Committee for Clearing Up the Past (Chairman Kim Kwang-dong, hereinafter referred to as the Truth and Reconciliation Committee) began investigating overseas adoption agencies in Korea by visiting them one after another and asking for cooperation in the investigation.

The Truth and Reconciliation Committee said, “Starting with a visit to Holt Children’s Services on the 13th of this month, we visited the Eastern Social Welfare Society on the 19th, the Korean Social Services Society on the 20th, and the Korean Social Welfare Society on the 21st.

This visit to an overseas placement agency was followed by an investigation of the statements of major applicants related to human rights violations during the overseas adoption process, a review of adoption data related to government ministries, and an on-site survey in Denmark, a representative adoption recipient country, last June. The truth and reconciliation committee said that it was done to find out the actual truth through securing.

In a field survey in Denmark last June, it is known that about 20 applicants for overseas adoption, references such as adoptive parents, and national organizations related to overseas adoption were visited.

International adoption began in 1954 at the direction of President Syngman Rhee and has been carried out by adoption agencies authorized and supervised by the Minister of Health and Social Affairs in accordance with the Special Act on Adoption of Orphans (1961) and the Act on Special Cases concerning Adoption (1976). Since 1966, when the Special Act on Adoption of Orphans was revised, only four adoption agencies visited by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission have been exclusively in charge of overseas adoption agencies with government permission.

During this visit, Lee Sang-hoon, a standing member of the Truth and Reconciliation Committee, and the person in charge of the investigation department attended the interview and requested cooperation in the investigation of the case, such as providing materials related to overseas adoption held by each institution. Although each agency expressed concerns about personal information protection, they agreed with the purpose of the investigation and expressed their intention to cooperate with the investigation as much as possible.

Accordingly, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission plans to request adoption-related data from each adoption agency in the near future, such as adoption business permit-related data produced between the 1960s and 1990s, budget-settlement-related data, adoption-related records, and agreements with intercountry adoption cooperating organizations.

As soon as the data are obtained, the Truth and Reconciliation Committee determines whether or not public power is exercised during the international adoption process, such as promoting unfair policies, whether the four domestic adoption agency agencies have their roles and responsibilities in the process, and through cross-country adoption data comparison for each applicant. We plan to pursue the truth about various document manipulation allegations that were raised during the individual overseas adoption process of the applicants.

A total of 375 cases have been filed with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Looking at the status of cases received by adoption agency, Holt Children’s Services 170 cases, Korea Social Services Society 154 cases, Korea Social Welfare Society 23 cases, Eastern Social Welfare Society 17 cases.

Standing Committee Member Lee Sang-hoon said, “After the first decision to initiate an investigation into the case of human rights violations during the overseas adoption process, we are conducting written and face-to-face investigations on the applicant.” We will also launch an investigation in earnest.”

출처 : 한국시민기자협회(http://www.civilreporter.co.kr)