Adoptees, birth families, officials demand justice as Korea confronts abuses

Mie Lee Hansen, now 38 years old and living in Denmark, thought she knew the story of her adoption and the family that gave her away. She had documents that offered convincing information about her Korean background, including the fact that she had two older sisters.

After taking a DNA test, she was reconnected with a Korean relative — but the story she learned from this long-lost relative differed radically from what was in those files.

“The real story is that when my mother went into labor, she was rushed to the hospital,” Lee said. “She gave birth, and after she recovered and requested to see her baby, she was told that the baby was stillborn. The day after my mother went home, my maternal grandmother returned to the hospital to claim my body. But the doctors told her to go home and became angry with her.”

Needless to say, her family was shocked to learn that she was very much alive.

“When my Korean family read my adoption file, they said, 'Everything here is fake.' The file had their names and the city we lived in, and it was true that I had two older sisters. But everything else was false. Birth parents never gave permission for me to be adopted. Somebody took their child. Somebody stole me,” Lee said.

Lee was one of several adoptees from around the world who gathered in Seoul last month to share their stories and demand accountability for decades of human rights violations in Korea’s international adoption system.

The 3rd Adoption Truth Day International Conference, held Sept. 10-11 at the National Assembly in Seoul, brought together survivors, birth families, researchers, lawmakers and officials in what organizers called a “historic step toward justice.”

“This conference is our space, created by adoptees, for adoptees,” Peter Moller, co-director of KoRoot and the Danish Korean Rights Group, said in his opening remarks. “We cannot change the past, but we can change the present and shape the future. Our task now is to ensure that the truth we have uncovered leads to real change.”

Investigations confirm systemic abuses

The conference followed a ruling in March from Korea’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), which uncovered evidence of systemic human rights violations throughout the adoption process. Investigators found widespread evidence of falsified documents, coerced or absent parental consent and children declared dead or missing before being sent overseas.

On the first day, researchers from France and Sweden presented the results of similar inquiries in their own countries, highlighting illegal practices in adoption systems and the urgent need for reparations. Korean TRC officials described their findings as a “stepping-stone decision” for adoptees’ rights, stressing that the work of uncovering the full truth is ongoing.

“Adoptees are not second-class citizens, not objects, not commodities,” Moller declared. “We are human beings with the same rights as anyone else.”

Calls for accountability

Korean lawmakers joined the discussions alongside representatives from the Ministry of Health and Welfare, National Police Agency and National Center for the Rights of the Child (NCRC). Civic groups urged the government to implement TRC’s recommendations and to ensure that reparations, transparency and family reunification efforts are pursued.

Boon Young Han, co-director of the Danish Korean Rights Group, emphasized the collective nature of the movement: “Adoption and human rights are inseparable. The dignity of each child and family must be at the very center of policy.”

Organizers announced a follow-up international meeting in November in cooperation with the U.N. Committee on Enforced Disappearances, underscoring the global dimension of the struggle.

While participants acknowledged that decades of separation and harm cannot be undone, the gathering marked a turning point in the movement for adoptee rights.

“This is not about blame,” Moller said. “It is about drawing a line in history so that the rights of adoptees and families are finally recognized — and never again ignored.”

Representatives from TRC and the police outlined their positions and the services available to adoptees.

The NCRC did not give an official speech, but an official noted that adoptees could once again apply for family searches and related requests, following a suspension during a temporary archiving project.

Adoptees shared ongoing concerns and highlighted persistent challenges. The police’s DNA program, for instance, conveyed mixed messages about public awareness and commitment to community engagement. Adoptees reported difficulties at police stations, where staff were sometimes unaware of the program.

Adoptees also cited human rights violations related to international adoption that have been investigated in other countries, calling for similar investigations in Korea.

Antonia Giordano is a freelance photographer and writer based in Seoul. An adoptee, Antonia deeply understands and connects with the issues surrounding adoption and post-adoption. Visit giordanoantonia.myportfolio.com and follow @antonia_creative_services on Instagram.

 

Alice Hong is a freelance writer and comedian based in Seoul. Follow her at @hippohong on Instagram.