Yonhap News:
"Adoptees’ Roots"—260,000 Adoption Records Now in One Place…Temporary Archive Opens in Goyang.

Posted to Paperslip on July 23rd, 2025.
Thanks to a Paperslip Contributor for the link.
Translation via ChatGPT.
Please click link above to to be taken to the original Korean article.
Please see original article link for photos — which are worth checking out as they show photos of NCRC’s new temporary storage facility.

*Please note that what the article translates as “The Korea Children’s Rights Agency” is NCRC (National Center for the Rights of the Child).

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Related Paperslip Pages:

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Paperslip Note For KSS (Korea Social Service) Adoptees:

Frankly, apart from the admittedly concerning temperature and humidity and access issues, NCRC’s new temporary storage facility does not look considerably worse than KSS’s file room at its one remaining Post Adoption Services building in Seoul (pictured below). KSS’ one remaining Post Adoption Services building has always been inconveniently located one hour north of Seoul, near the site of the former KSS campus which was torn down in 2016, so KSS Adoptees have always had to travel an hour north to visit KSS and have a file review with a KSS social worker (something which is no longer possible after July 19th, 2025, since KSS’ Post Adoption Services will close. However, cryptically, KSS has said they will still be there for an indeterminate amount of time. So maybe KSS Adoptees can still visit the office? Who knows — contact KSS to find out).

Adoptees who were adopted through the other major Korean Adoption Agencies (apart from KSS) are the ones who will feel the most inconvenienced by the location of NCRC’s new temporary storage facility in Gyeonggi-do. We still obviously wish that NCRC would have acted responsibly and requested the land for the originally proposed “Adoption Records Center” in Gimpo. And of course we wish that the Korean Government had approved an adequate amount of funding for this far superior proposed project which will likely never be. Let’s hope and pray that NCRC does a MUCH better job with “preserving” and “digitizing” our sacred Korean Adoption Agency records than they did with our Orphanage files!

Above — KSS’ former file room at its Post Adoption Services building in Seoul. © Paperslip.org

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ChatGPT translation of original Korean article linked above:

“Latest News:

"Adoptees’ Roots"—260,000 Adoption Records Now in One Place… Temporary Archive Opens in Goyang (Summary)
Published: July 23, 2025, 15:23

3-Line Summary

  • Due to budget constraints, plans to build a dedicated archive were scrapped; a cold storage logistics center building has been leased for 5 years instead.

  • The Korea Children’s Rights Agency (NCRC) says the facility is climate-controlled, but adoptee groups express concerns about preservation conditions.

  • The new temporary archive in Goyang will house 260,000 records, including documents from private agencies and child care facilities.

(Goyang = Yonhap News) Reporter Kim Da-hye – On July 23, at a logistics center in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, temperatures outside exceeded 31°C with humidity near 70%. Inside the fourth-floor temporary archive for adoption records, however, it was a cooler 24.2°C and 51% humidity.

A Korea Children’s Rights Agency (NCRC) official explained, “The door is currently open for press access, so it's a bit warmer, but we’ll maintain the temperature at 20–22°C in accordance with the Public Records Act standards when storing records.”

The temporary archive, located on the fourth floor of a five-story cold storage logistics building in Ogeum-dong, Deogyang-gu, Goyang, is intended to house all adoption records in one place.

The facility spans approximately:

  • 670 pyeong (approx. 2,215 m²) of shelving space

  • 201 pyeong (approx. 664 m²) of workspace

  • 71 pyeong (approx. 234 m²) of office space
    Total: about 1,472 pyeong (4,870 m²)

Ahead of transferring records, the KCRA (NCRC) opened the facility to the press and adoptee organizations for two days to alleviate concerns that a building originally intended for cold storage is unfit for preserving sensitive documents.

The building, originally designed as a typical logistics center, didn't feel particularly cold. Though constructed to function as a cold storage warehouse, KCRA emphasized the cooling system can be adjusted and won’t be used during archive operations.

Han Myung-ae, head of KCRA’s (NCRC’s) adoption program, clarified, “Though often mistaken for a Coupang warehouse, Coupang only uses the rooftop parking. The fourth floor has never been leased since its construction in 2022.”

She added, “We inspected over 40 locations nationwide. Most didn’t meet structural load standards. Factory-style industrial centers involved complex multi-tenant contracts. This facility met structural and accessibility criteria, and we signed a 5-year lease (through May 2030) after a safety inspection.”

The archive includes:

  • Four climate control units

  • Movable shelving for up to 600,000 books

  • Scanners for providing digital copies of records upon request

  • Consultation rooms for adoptees wishing to view originals

However, disinfection equipment and deacidification tools for document preservation are still pending, with plans to install them this year and next, respectively. Only 4 out of the required 6 climate control units are currently installed due to budget limitations. A gas-based fire suppression system is also to be installed later this month.

Adoptee groups expressed concern, calling the building “a giant refrigerator” and questioning whether temperature and humidity will be reliably maintained. They also raised issues about accessibility and potential water damage from sprinklers in case of fire.

KCRA (NCRC) responded that documents will be stored in waterproof boxes. For adoptees unable to visit, original records can be reviewed at the KCRA’s (NCRC’s ) Seoul office in Jung-gu.

The archive will hold records from:

  • Private adoption agencies

  • Child care institutions

  • Related items like letters from birth parents and baby clothes

Starting next month, about 260,000 records from 8 adoption agencies and several child care institutions will be transferred. The goal is to complete the transfer by early September (2025), with inspection and packing currently underway at each institution.

According to KCRA (NCRC), each adoptee typically has one file—meaning the records represent the life histories of approximately 250,000 domestic and international adoptees.

Next year, an additional 70+ child care institutions will transfer records, with local government records to follow from 2027.

To address concerns over possible manipulation or omission of private records, KCRA (NCRC) said it contracted a professional moving firm and assigned staff to monitor the transfer on-site. Professional archivists have also been hired to support the work.

Under a new Special Adoption Act effective July 19, KCRA (NCRC) will now centrally manage adoption records and respond to information disclosure requests. Submissions for record access are paused during the transfer and will resume on September 16.

On the same day, overseas adoptees gathered at the facility’s entrance to voice their stance on record preservation, holding signs reading: “Guarantee human rights” and “Respect our records.”

Han Myung-ae emphasized, “From now on, adoption records will be managed directly by the government and the KCRA (NCRC). This is significant for upholding adoptees’ right to know and for ensuring transparency and trust in the adoption system.”

She added, “To preserve these records long-term, a specialized, permanent archive is essential.”

KCRA (NCRC) had previously proposed a dedicated archive with a 34 billion won ($26 million) budget in 2023 but failed to secure funding. The current temporary archive was created with about 2.3 billion won ($1.75 million). KCRA (NCRC) plans to reinitiate a feasibility study next year and reevaluate candidate sites from scratch.

Meanwhile, about 10 members of an adoptee group gathered outside the facility urging full transfer of records, chanting: “Protect our rights. Respect our records.”

Related News

  • 260,000 Adoption Records Now in One Place

  • Adoptee Groups Call for Transparent Supervision of Record Transfers

  • From Tragedy to Transparency: Korea Shifts to State-Run Adoption System

  • KCRA (NCRC) Temporarily Halts Record Requests for Archive Transition

  • Additional Audit of KCRA's (NCRC’s) Record Project Underway”

(Please see original article for links and photos).