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Mon, July 4, 2022 | 21:45

Adoption is meant to provide babies for families, not families for babies

Recently, an article was published in The Atlantic entitled, “The New Question Haunting Adoption,” in which author Olga Khazan asks the following question: “But is adoption meant to provide babies for families, or families for babies?” As an adoptee myself (adopted from Korea at three months of age), this question has been haunting me since I read this article.

2021-12-25 09:17

I feel welcome but often rejected as adoptee in Korea. Here's what needs to change

Intercultural communication can be challenging. Honestly, no matter how hard adoptees try to re-adapt to Korean culture, we will never be entirely Korean again. Having been socialized in the West, this cultural influence dominates our behaviors.

2021-12-18 09:46

The second generation: A story of Korean adoptees' child

I vividly remember the grand ceremony at the Korean Ministry of Justice in 2011 when both of my parents' Korean citizenship was restored. It had been more than two years since we had moved to Korea as a family, and I remember feeling proud - proud that my parents had completed their journey back home, and proud to be their “Korean” son. While my parents seemed to have complet...

2021-12-12 09:10

'Vincenzo' and adoption myth entrenched in Korean society

“Vincenzo,” a Korean TV drama starring Song Joong-ki, centers on the story of a Korean adoptee who becomes a mob lawyer, after being raised by an Italian mafia family. Despite being adopted to Italy at a very young age and spending most of his life there, he arrives in Incheon International Airport speaking perfect Korean and manages to integrate seamlessly into Korean societ...

2021-12-04 09:27

While experiencing 'han,' we need to reintegrate 'jeong' into our vocabulary

We adoptees are the embodiment of “han,” a term that could be described as an “internalized feeling of deep sorrow, grief, regret and anger.” Sharing this feeling makes us so very connected to our ancestors. As adoptees, besides what we carry genetically, we are spiritually very Korean.

2021-11-27 09:37

Secrets of birth: Multiple layers of falsehoods in Korea's birth documents

The Netflix documentary, “Wonder Boy,” chronicles the journey of Olivier Rousteing, a transracially adopted French designer, to uncover his true identity.

2021-11-20 09:06

Rewriting my adoption story truthfully

My citizenship is American but America is not where I was born. My birthplace is Korea, but Korean is not my culture. My culture is American, but my American family does not share my race. My racial ancestors are Korean, but I do not know who they are.

2021-11-14 08:57

Imagining equality between Koreans and overseas adoptees

Overseas adult adoptees have resettled in Korea since the mid-/late 1990s but not before the early/mid-2000s was there a critical mass return. I doubt that Korea was ready for this influx and we might not have been quite ready for Korea either. My motivation for resettling in Korea was largely driven by a general interest and curiosity about this mythical-like place: a countr...

2021-11-06 09:34

The problems we face while helping adoptees' search for families

I'm a representative of “Banet,” which began in 2018 as a small group of women volunteering to help overseas adoptees search for their origins. The name derives from “banet jeogori,” a type of clothing worn by newborns in Korea. We chose this name after seeing black and white photos of an airplane filled with children - all of them wearing banet jeogori and destined for overs...

2021-10-31 12:31

What does Korean law say about adoptees' right to information disclosure

While there's been much discussion on the challenges of guaranteeing adopted people's “right to origins,” there's been little talk about the specifics of Korea's current legislation on the matter.

2021-10-16 14:13

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