Government Launches Adoption Policy Committee

South Korea on Wednesday launched a committee to oversee domestic adoption policy, as well as individual adoption cases, in accordance with new legislation.

The 15-member adoption policy committee, chaired by Health and Welfare Minister Jeong Eun-kyeong, includes experts on adoption, medicine and law as well as academics.

It will review adoption policy plans, set standards for pre-adoption parental training and rule on the suitability of prospective parent-child pairings.

Two eight-member subcommittees will separately handle domestic and international adoption cases, with their rulings carrying the weight of the main committee.

At its first meeting, the panel discussed operating guidelines and the implementation of the new public adoption system, which transfers oversight of the process from private agencies to local governments and the state.

Jeong said the committee would be the “driving force” behind a transparent public adoption system focused on the best interests of children.