Hankook Ilbo Article:
[Exclusive] Another ₩200 Million Research Project For The Same Content As A Previous ₩100 Million Project…Questionable Use Of Government Funds.
Posted to Paperslip on July 28th, 2025.
Thank you to a Paperslip Contributor for the link.
Translation via ChatGPT.
Bolds and red highlighting ours.
Paperslip Note:
Please note that what is referred to in the article as “Child Welfare Agency” = NCRC (National Center for the Rights of the Child) — the Korean Government Agency which takes over ALL Korean Adoption Agency files starting July 19th, 2025.
This article discusses NCRC’s failure to move forward on a land proposal by the city of Gimpo for a previously proposed “Adoption Records Center”. An NCRC whistleblower previously came forward in June 2025 to alert Adoptee activists that NCRC had not yet moved forward on the 2024 Gimpo land proposal, which contributed to the failure of the proposed “Adoption Records Center”. Subsequently, NCRC signed a 5 year lease for its current temporary storage facility in Goyang, Gyeonggi-do, which many Adoptees feel is an inadequate space for the long-term storage of precious adoption records.
We predict that once NCRC’s 5 year lease runs out on its current temporary storage facility in Goyang, Gyeonggi-do on May 30th, 2030, that typical budget denials by the Korean Government may hamper NCRC’s SECOND movement of ALL (former) Korean Adoption Agency files to a (hopefully permanent) new storage facility.
We want to WARN Korean Adoptees NOT TO WAIT UNTIL 2030 to submit a “Petition for Adoption Information Disclosure” (birth family search request) to NCRC — since Adoptees who wait until 2030 will likely be TOO LATE to receive a response from NCRC BEFORE the SECOND file transfer — which will introduce the possibility of EVEN MORE damage, loss, or mix up of adoption files. Please note that NCRC is likely to CLOSE its services SEVERAL MONTHS PRIOR to May 30th, 2030. Please plan accordingly.
Please see:
IMPORTANT DATES
Other Related Paperslip Pages:
Address and Contact Info For Important Locations Related To Birth Family Search Through NCRC
“The (Korean) Ministry of Health and Welfare's request for a 4.8 billion won budget for an 'Adoption Records Center' has been rejected by the Ministry of Finance.”
“NCRC Secures Adoption Records Preservation Facility in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province”
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“Hankook Ilbo
[Exclusive] Another ₩200 million research project for the same content as a previous ₩100 million project…Questionable use of government funds
Published: July 28, 2025, 6:01 PM
By Dara Won
Child Welfare Agency (NCRC) spent ₩100 million in 2023 on feasibility study
Submits another ₩200 million research budget despite similar content
No land use agreement made, but launching yet another study
The Child Rights Agency, under the Ministry of Health and Welfare, which is leading the construction of an adoption records archive by receiving 260,000 international adoption records from private institutions, is once again pushing for a feasibility study that was already conducted in 2023 for ₩100 million. Concerns are growing over the potential waste of national funds due to the duplication of research projects.
According to the “Feasibility Study Report on the Construction of the Child Rights Agency Archive,” obtained on July 28 by Hankook Ilbo through Democratic Party lawmaker Namhee Kim’s office, the report includes:
Case studies of domestic and international archives
Economic feasibility and ripple effects of building the archive
Site selection requirements and planning considerations
Preliminary internal layout plans such as deacidification and disinfection rooms
Despite completing this study in 2023, the agency recently submitted another ₩200 million research budget for the next fiscal year to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, claiming the need for a new feasibility assessment.
An agency official explained, “We were unable to secure the construction budget after the 2023 study. We have to start over and newly assess the feasibility of candidate sites.” When asked about the difference between the two studies, they replied, “The content won’t be much different,” and added, “Because construction costs have risen significantly over the past two years, we need to re-verify feasibility to ensure sufficient funding.”
However, the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MOEF) says additional research is unnecessary. Last year, the Child Rights Agency considered building the archive on idle government-owned land in Gurae-dong, Gimpo City (owned by MOEF), and was in discussions with MOEF, the Korea Asset Management Corporation (KAMCO), and Gimpo City. This land use plan could have saved around ₩15.8 billion in land acquisition costs. Gimpo City welcomed the archive project.
Essentially, the agency only needed to apply for design funding after finalizing the site plan. However, it only applied for about ₩1.5 billion in design costs without submitting a concrete land-use agreement (e.g., a Memorandum of Understanding, MOU).
A MOEF official stated, “The agency didn’t meet the basic budget request requirement of securing the site, so the request was rejected.” When asked if MOEF had informed the agency about the need for a land-use MOU, the official confirmed, “Yes.”
An internal document from October 4, 2023, titled “Visit Results of Candidate Sites for Adoption Archive and Temporary Storage,” also indicates the agency had already scoped out potential locations.
A separate July 2024 report submitted to the Health Ministry outlines plans to co-develop MOEF-owned land with Gimpo City for the archive’s construction.
MOEF emphasized the possibility of using this land remains open, stating, “We saw this project as important and were willing to negotiate. The Ministry of Health and Welfare missed the opportunity to utilize national assets.”
A Gimpo City official, who was supposed to sign the MOU, said, “We welcome the archive’s construction in Gimpo, and are still waiting for the agency (NCRC) to contact us.” A KAMCO official added that the process was delayed because “the agency (NCRC) never got back to us.”
Furthermore, the ₩200 million budget for the new study is more than double the cost of similar studies recently conducted by other institutions or local governments. For example:
Busan City: ₩98.5 million in April 2023 for its city archive feasibility study and master plan
Sejong City: ₩70 million in August 2023 for its archive master plan
North Jeolla Province: ₩43 million in March 2024 for a feasibility study on an educational archive
Additional costs for temporary storage are also inevitable. The agency initiated the previous research project in March 2023 and received the final report in December. Assuming a similar timeline, the new report wouldn’t be available until December 2026, pushing full construction budget requests back to 2028.
Construction is expected to take four years. The temporary storage facility the agency leased in April 2024 has a contract ending May 30, 2030. That facility alone cost ₩1.5 billion to establish. Any relocation or contract extension will require a new agreement. According to contract details confirmed by lawmaker Youngseok Seo, no provisions for renewal were included.
By Dara Won (dara@hankookilbo.com)”