SEOUL, SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA, March 19, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Recent data and developments have prompted adoptees to call for closer examination of the funding and operations of South Korea’s National Center for the Rights of the Child (NCRC). This comes as the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) prepares to release findings and adoptee files are scheduled for transfer by July 2025, marking a significant period for South Korea’s adoption system.
Funding Details Emerge
Records published on March 1, 2025, indicate that the NCRC contributed 55% of the 2024 budget for G.O.A’L, a well-known adoptee-run NGO. G.O.A’L is also the sole adoptee-focused organization represented on the NCRC’s board, according to available documentation. This financial and governance connection has led some adoptees to raise questions about the NCRC’s structure.
Record Access Under Review
A January 14, 2025, MBC documentary, The Disappeared Adoption Records: The Country That Erased Me, detailed issues with a 2 billion KRW digitization project managed by the NCRC from 2013 to 2022. The NCRC responded on January 15, 2025, confirming internal reviews and audits initiated in 2024. Parliamentary data shows that between 2021 and 2024, only 16.4% of 6,087 adoption record requests were granted.
Notable Recent Cases
Several events have highlighted challenges with the NCRC’s processes:
On October 10, 2024, Norwegian adoptee Alice Andersen requested her biological family’s medical history due to health conditions but was denied access.
On October 7, 2024, Han Tae-soon filed a lawsuit against the government and Holt Children’s Services, claiming insufficient efforts to locate her family before her daughter’s 1976 adoption. Case: 2024-Ga-57382, Jihyang Law, Phone: +82(0)2.3476.6002.
A Danish adoptee’s lawsuit, filed August 4, 2024, seeks her late father’s identity under the Special Adoption Act, with the NCRC declining to provide the information. Case: 2024-Dan-39214, Jihyang Law, Phone: +82(0)2.3476.6002.
TRC Investigation Progresses
The TRC announced on March 5, 2025, that preliminary results from its review of 367 forced adoptions from the 1960s to 1980s will be shared by late March. Operating independently of the NCRC, the TRC’s mandate extends through May 2025, with adoptee files set to transfer by July 2025, a timeline noted by adoptee groups.
Government Outlines Changes
On May 10, 2024, the Ministry of Health and Welfare announced plans to transition adoption oversight to government entities, including the NCRC, by July 19, 2025. Historical issues, such as incomplete or altered records, continue to be documented.
Adoptees Request Further Insight
Adoptee advocates have expressed interest in reviews of the NCRC’s funding sources, board makeup, and record management procedures before the July 2025 file transfer. With the TRC’s findings approaching, they see this as a key moment to explore longstanding aspects of South Korea’s adoption system.
Funding Details Emerge
Records published on March 1, 2025, indicate that the NCRC contributed 55% of the 2024 budget for G.O.A’L, a well-known adoptee-run NGO. G.O.A’L is also the sole adoptee-focused organization represented on the NCRC’s board, according to available documentation. This financial and governance connection has led some adoptees to raise questions about the NCRC’s structure.
Record Access Under Review
A January 14, 2025, MBC documentary, The Disappeared Adoption Records: The Country That Erased Me, detailed issues with a 2 billion KRW digitization project managed by the NCRC from 2013 to 2022. The NCRC responded on January 15, 2025, confirming internal reviews and audits initiated in 2024. Parliamentary data shows that between 2021 and 2024, only 16.4% of 6,087 adoption record requests were granted.
Notable Recent Cases
Several events have highlighted challenges with the NCRC’s processes:
On October 10, 2024, Norwegian adoptee Alice Andersen requested her biological family’s medical history due to health conditions but was denied access.
On October 7, 2024, Han Tae-soon filed a lawsuit against the government and Holt Children’s Services, claiming insufficient efforts to locate her family before her daughter’s 1976 adoption. Case: 2024-Ga-57382, Jihyang Law, Phone: +82(0)2.3476.6002.
A Danish adoptee’s lawsuit, filed August 4, 2024, seeks her late father’s identity under the Special Adoption Act, with the NCRC declining to provide the information. Case: 2024-Dan-39214, Jihyang Law, Phone: +82(0)2.3476.6002.
TRC Investigation Progresses
The TRC announced on March 5, 2025, that preliminary results from its review of 367 forced adoptions from the 1960s to 1980s will be shared by late March. Operating independently of the NCRC, the TRC’s mandate extends through May 2025, with adoptee files set to transfer by July 2025, a timeline noted by adoptee groups.
Government Outlines Changes
On May 10, 2024, the Ministry of Health and Welfare announced plans to transition adoption oversight to government entities, including the NCRC, by July 19, 2025. Historical issues, such as incomplete or altered records, continue to be documented.
Adoptees Request Further Insight
Adoptee advocates have expressed interest in reviews of the NCRC’s funding sources, board makeup, and record management procedures before the July 2025 file transfer. With the TRC’s findings approaching, they see this as a key moment to explore longstanding aspects of South Korea’s adoption system.
JK Song
Punch Digital Marketing
namelessadoptee@proton.me
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