Investigation found that between 1964 and 1999, 367 children were adopted by families in 11 countries, such as the United States, France, Denmark and Sweden
A South Korea commission revealed, after a two -year investigation, that adoption agencies in the country sent children to other countries cruelly and inhuman for decades. The report pointed out that, in addition to registering children as orphans even having parents, some agencies replaced babies killed with others to send abroad.
The investigation found that between 1964 and 1999, 367 children were adopted by families in 11 countries, such as the United States, France, Denmark and Sweden. In one of the emblematic cases, the commission released a photo of babies wrapped in blankets and tied to plane seats in 1984, with the subtitle “Children sent abroad as luggage”.
The commission concluded that, over almost 50 years after the Korea War, the government prioritized international adoption as a cheaper solution rather than strengthening national policies of child welfare. As a result of the findings, the commission recommended that the Korean government make an official apology to the victims and suggested reparation measures to people whose identities were changed.
The report also requests the ratification of the Hague Convention on adoption, a survey on the citizenship of the adopted and the commitment of the adoption agencies to restore the rights of the victims.
“These violations should never have occurred,” said Park Sun-Young, chairman of the commission, highlighting the importance of uniting the adoptions to deal with the identity crises faced by many of those involved.
