Naver News Article:
‘“Adoption Records Will Be Damaged” — (NCRC Worker) Whistleblowing Followed By Workplace Bullying…Complaint Filed With Labor Office’
Posted to Paperslip on January 28th, 2026.
Originally published in Korean to Naver News on January 26th, 2026.
Thank you to a Paperslip Contributor for the link.
Translation via ChatGPT.
Some BOLDS ours.
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Paperslip Note:
For context: The Korean article above (which we translated via ChatGPT below) concerns the bullying of an NCRC whistleblower who was harassed in her workplace for complaining that the planned chemical treatment of ALL former Korean Adoption Agency files which are currently housed at NCRC’s Temporary Storage Facility in Goyang, Gyeonggi-do would likely destroy sensitive materials, such as “photographs, film, and *thermal paper”.
*Please note that we are not quite sure what is meant by “thermal paper”, but this may be a reference to “heat sensitive paper”, such as receipt paper or paper that prints with heat instead of ink, at least according to ChatGPT.
*A note for KSS (Korea Social Service) Adoptees: KSS had digital microfiche versions of our files on its computers at its former Post Adoption Services building in Seoul (which no longer houses our files following the July 19th, 2025 transfer of ALL former Korean Adoption Agency files to NCRC). We do not know whether or not these digital microfiche documents were preserved, though we have reason to doubt it. Were any ACTUAL physical microfiche files from KSS ever preserved by NCRC, then these would likely be destroyed by the chemical treatment process which NCRC plans to use, in preparation for the transfer of ALL former Korean Adoption Agency files to the Seongam Branch of the National Archives, which is slated to happen in the first half of 2026.
See related: Will NCRC Preserve KSS’ Death Books, Digital Microfiche Files, and Computers?
The chemical treatment is part of the preparation for the planned movement of ALL former Korean Adoption Agency files from NCRC’s Temporary Storage Facility in Goyang, Gyeonggi-do to the Seongam Branch of the National Archives. The National Archives, unlike NCRC, has a high standard for the preservations of records / files and materials. This includes treating incoming records / files and materials for pests, which can destroy certain document types, such as “photographs, film, and thermal paper”. When NCRC formed an MOU in late 2025 with the Seongam Branch of the National Archives for the transfer of ALL former Korean Adoption Agency files, NCRC was faced with two options by the Seongam Branch of the National Archives: treat ALL of the documents at NCRC’s current temporary storage facility at ONCE with a chemical pesticide, which would take about one month — OR treat documents with a less destructive method, which could take up to 4 YEARS.
A small group of activists pushed for the files to have “better storage conditions” by NCRC, following the FIRST transfer of ALL former Korean Adoption Agency files to NCRC’s temporary storage facility in Goyang, Gyeonggi-do. However, as we have unfortunately long known, two steps forward in activism can often mean ten steps back. In this decades long game of chess, the Korean Government has and always will be ten steps ahead of Adoptees — despite, or perhaps because of, their eternal and willful incompetence. The Korean Government has provided NO additional budget to NCRC for this planned 2026 movement of ALL former Korean Adoption Agency files from NCRC’s temporary storage facility in Goyang, Gyeonggi-do to the Seongam Branch of the National Archives. With very few NCRC staff members to handle NOT ONLY this SECOND massive transfer of ALL former Korean Adoption Agency files, BUT ALSO the massive influx of birth family search requests to NCRC from thousands of Korean Adoptees around the world, the precious adoption records of Korean Adoptees are at enormous risk of loss, damage, or destruction during these repeated moves from one facility to another. IF the files currently housed at NCRC’s temporary storage facility in Goyang, Gyeonggi-do are treated with chemicals — as seems likely, given that NCRC has stated that the move to the Seongam Branch of the National Archives will take place in the first half of 2026 — then the needle has been moved from POSSIBLE destruction of some adoption documents over time to LIKELY eminent destruction of some adoption documents by the chemical treatment process. Not only that, but this SECOND movement of ALL former Korean Adoption Agency files means that the birth family search requests of Korean Adoptees is likely to be bottlenecked for the foreseeable future. It takes a LOT of time, money, and manpower to sort out such a massive transfer of files — none of which the Korean Government has ever been willing to provide.
The options for Korean Adoptees’ precious former Korean Adoption Agency files is pretty bleak: either they are treated quickly en masse at NCRC’s temporary storage facility in Goyang, Gyeonggi-do with a chemical pesticide which is likely to destroy precious documents including “photographs, film, and thermal paper” — OR they are treated slowly over 4 YEARS of time, in order to be admitted to the Seongam Branch of the National Archives. The first option promises expediency, but risks nearly certain destruction to certain precious adoption documents; the second option means that the birth family search options for most Korean Adoptees could be delayed by YEARS.
We unfortunately knew that once ALL former Korean Adoption Agency files moved to NCRC, it would be a nightmare. It is for this reason that we spent 15 months WARNING KSS Adoptees and all Korean Adoptees that they should make their birth family search and document requests to their Korean Adoption Agencies PRIOR to the first transfer of ALL former Korean Adoption Agency files from the Korean Adoption Agencies to NCRC.
Unfortunately, the birth family search process from here on promises to be fraught with even more difficulty than ever before in the past. This is because NCRC — a Korean public institution which is chronically and deliberately underfunded and understaffed by the Korean Government — now possesses ALL former Korean Adoption Agency files, and has VERY FEW workers to handle not only the various MASSIVE file transfers, but also respond to thousands of incoming requests from Korean Adoptees around the world.
It is for this reason that we cannot more strongly suggest that you take ALL possible DNA tests. For those Korean Adoptees who do not already have birth parent information in their possession — which is the vast majority of Adoptees — birth family search for the foreseeable future may largely boil down to DNA testing.
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Please see related:
Budget For File Transfer From Temporary Storage Facility To National Archives Denied - *Shocker*
"S. Korean Government to Relocate Adoption Records Archive Just 3 Months After Setup”
Will NCRC Preserve KSS’ Death Books, Digital Microfiche Files, and Computers?
Address and Contact Info For Important Locations Related To Birth Family Search Through NCRC
ALL Adoptees Start Here! General Birth Family Search Steps Through NCRC — Overview
Now More Than Ever, Safely Back Up Any Documents You Have Which Contain Birth Parent Information!
DNA Testing
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ChatGPT translation of original Naver News article linked at top:
NAVER NEWS / EDAILY Subscription
By Seok Ji-heon
Entered: Jan. 26, 2026, 11:37 a.m.
Summary
Victim’s side holds press conference in front of the Seoul Regional Labor Office
Concerns raised over disinfection methods for adoption records
Later assigned to disinfection sites using carcinogenic substances… alleges personnel disadvantages
[EDAILY Reporter Seok Ji-heon] An employee who raised concerns about the management of adoption records at the National Center for the Rights of the Child, a public institution under the Ministry of Health and Welfare, has filed a complaint with the Ministry of Employment and Labor, claiming workplace harassment and unfair work orders by senior officials. The employee alleges that professional concerns raised during the digitization and preservation of adoption records led to personnel disadvantages and isolation within the organization.
The Women Workers’ Legal Support Center held a press conference on the morning of the 26th in front of the Seoul Regional Office of Employment and Labor, announcing that a professional records manager at the National Center for the Rights of the Child had filed a complaint over ongoing workplace harassment experienced during the management of adoption records. The center defined the case not as a simple internal conflict, but as an instance of organized retaliation against a public-interest whistleblower.
At the press conference, attorney Kim Eun-jin of the Women Workers’ Legal Support Center stated, “Adoption records are core original documents that allow adoptees to identify their roots, yet the professional who tried to protect them was instead isolated within the organization,” adding, “This is a case where a public institution shifted responsibility rather than protecting a whistleblower.”
The victim is a specialist working in the Records Management Team of the Adoption Services Headquarters at the National Center for the Rights of the Child, responsible for managing and preserving adoption records transferred from private adoption agencies. Last year, the Center signed agreements with the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the National Archives of Korea to transfer records stored in a temporary repository to the Seongnam branch of the National Archives for entrusted preservation.
Adoption records are essential public records documenting adoptees’ birth and adoption histories, requiring strict professional standards for preservation and handling. However, ahead of the transfer, instructions were reportedly issued to disinfect a large volume of records within a short period, prompting internal objections over the risk of damage.
Because adoption records contain mixed materials such as photographs, film, and thermal paper, the method of disinfection was a key issue, as inappropriate techniques could damage the originals. According to the victim, their professional opinion was excluded, and instead, instructions were given to conduct fumigation using ethylene oxide—a Group 1 carcinogen—in a temporary storage facility lacking proper safety infrastructure.
The victim reportedly opposed this method, citing risks not only to the records but also to worker safety, but their objections were ignored. The complaint further alleges that meetings were held excluding the victim, and remarks were made encouraging team members to file grievances against them, amounting to systematic organizational pressure.
The Women Workers’ Legal Support Center concluded that these actions constituted workplace harassment exceeding the bounds of legitimate 업무 management. They stated that a pattern emerged in which an employee who raised professional concerns was labeled a “problematic individual” and subjected to collective pressure.
Attorney Kim emphasized, “The complainant, who carried out their duties according to professional ethics and conscience, suffered workplace harassment in the process of upholding those values,” and urged the Labor Office to conduct a thorough investigation and ensure that no further disadvantageous treatment occurs.
This case also intersects with existing controversy surrounding the Center’s adoption record digitization project. Previously, the Center’s director and 10 senior officials were reported to police on suspicion of legal violations during the digitization of adoption records and child cards, and the Jongno Police Station is currently investigating the matter.
According to the Center, whistleblowers who reported the digitization issues to the National Assembly and the media have faced years of work exclusion and organizational isolation. One whistleblower eventually left the organization, leaving only one person continuing to raise concerns internally.
The Women Workers’ Legal Support Center has demanded that the Ministry of Employment and Labor directly investigate whether workplace harassment occurred, while also urging the Ministry of Health and Welfare to clearly determine the legitimacy of personnel and disciplinary actions related to the adoption records project. They also called for strict measures against those responsible and a comprehensive review of whistleblower protection systems.
Seok Ji-heon (cake@edaily.co.kr)