Voices of Korean Adoptees: Falsified Records, Switched Identities, and Anguished Searches for the Truth: Korean Adoptees Worldwide Demand Justice
A new PBS FRONTLINE documentary titled South Korea’s Adoption Reckoning reveals the heartbreaking and infuriating truth behind decades of international adoption practices that have severed Korean adoptees from their birth families. Through falsified records, switched identities, and a well-oiled adoption industry, thousands of Korean children were sold into a system that many now recognize as child trafficking. The anguish and anger of Korean Adoptees Worldwide are at a boiling point as we demand justice, truth, transparency, and the full cessation of international adoption.
The Legacy of Falsified Identities
For decades, Korean adoptees were sent abroad—primarily to Western countries—under the false pretense of being orphans. Agencies created fake narratives, manipulating our identities to fit the convenient mold of “orphans,” which made it easier to process adoptions. These falsifications didn’t just strip us of our families; they erased our identities, leaving us to grapple with a fractured sense of self. Many of us in Korean Adoptees Worldwide are now uncovering the truth about our origins, discovering that our real families never consented to our adoption.
Korean Adoptees Worldwide Demand the Truth
We are no longer staying silent. Korean Adoptees Worldwide demand a complete halt to international adoption, a practice that has consistently dehumanized us and treated our identities as expendable. International adoption becomes child trafficking when our records are falsified and our origins are deliberately obscured for the sake of sending us abroad. No social worker, agency, or adoption industry representative should have the power to alter our identities and turn us into “paper orphans.”
The new documentary highlights the anguish of thousands of adoptees scattered across the globe, robbed of their birthright to know their families and heritage. We at Korean Adoptees Worldwide demand transparency and an end to this insidious practice.
Accountability is Non-Negotiable
As Korean Adoptees Worldwide, we demand accountability for the falsified records and systematic deception that have impacted so many lives. The agencies responsible—both in South Korea and in the receiving countries—must take FULL responsibility for their role in separating us unnecessarily from our birth families. Their actions have caused immeasurable harm, and the time for apologies, reparations, and justice is long overdue.
We demand compensation, recognition, and validation for the sacrifices we were forced to make. Those who falsified our identities and participated in this systemic deception must face legal consequences. The adoption agencies, along with the individuals involved, should be held accountable for the lifelong trauma they inflicted on Korean adoptees, and they need to ask for forgiveness for the unnecessary separations they caused.
How You Can Support Korean Adoptees Worldwide
We need your support in ensuring that this tragic history is never repeated. Korean Adoptees Worldwide is actively educating the public about adoption trafficking and fighting for justice. You can support our efforts in multiple ways:
- Purchase or share our anthology, The “Unknown” Culture Club: Korean Adoptees, Then and Now, published by Korean Adoptees Worldwide. This anthology shares the voices and stories of Korean adoptees, giving insight into the long-lasting effects of international adoption and the fight to reclaim our identities. *Like the book? Support us more by writing an awesome 5-star review of support!
- Donate to Against Child Trafficking USA. Your donations will help further our mission to expose the truth behind international adoption and prevent future generations from suffering the same fate.
- Join the Special Request to Stop International Adoptions. Sign the document to the Korean government to stop Intercountry Adoptions from Korea 70 years after the Korean War ended.
- Would you love to know more about adoption? Read Korean Adoptees Worldwide’s adoption book collection. Like what you read? Support Korean Adoptees Worldwide by writing a review!
The rise of international adoption has come at a cost, and it’s important to acknowledge the aftermath on the people most impacted: children, families, and communities. Rare Adoption Books for Adults by Rev. Dr. Janine Vance provides readers with a deeper understanding of the additional burdens adopted-people faced yesterday, around the world, and still today.
Together, we can bring about real change and ensure that no more children are torn from their families under false pretenses. Join Korean Adoptees Worldwide in demanding justice, truth, and an end to adoption trafficking. The time for reckoning is now.
Why is Korea considered the “Cadillac” of International Adoptions? Read about the faith-based evangelists Harry and Bertha Holt, who pioneered one of the largest overseas mid-century modern child migration schemes in South Korea immediately after the Korean War ended.
