National Center for the Rights of the Child (NCRC) Clarification Notice.
Posted to Paperslip on April 28th, 2025.
Posted to NCRC’s Facebook Page on April 28th, 2025 (KST).
Paperslip Note: NCRC posted this response to a recent MBC documentary criticizing NCRC’s treatment of Overseas Korean Adoptees. Effectively NCRC is defending its close adherence to the letter of the law in the two cases it addresses:
Marrit Kim van der Staaij is a Dutch DoKad (descendant of a Korean Adoptee)—the daughter of a deceased KSS (Korea Social Service) Adoptee (her mother).
Matthew Seongtan is a dying French Holt Adoptee.
Please see NCRC’s original text images in the GALLERY below this section.
Translation of these NCRC text images below via ChatGPT.
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Image 1 Translation:
National Center for the Rights of the Child (NCRC) Clarification Notice
We would like to clarify the facts regarding the media coverage of overseas adoptee cases.
On April 27, 2025, the MBC investigative program "Straight" aired an episode titled “The Adoption Remains, but the Records Have Vanished”.
We would like to provide the following explanation regarding this report.
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Image 2 Translation:
National Center for the Rights of the Child (NCRC) Clarification Notice
We would like to clarify the facts regarding the media coverage of overseas adoptee cases.
Regarding the interview with Marrit Kim van der Staaij (2nd generation overseas adoptee),
the report claimed that “the NCRC refused to conduct a DNA test.”Regarding the case of Matthew Seongtan (overseas adoptee),
the report claimed that “the NCRC does not disclose birth parent information.”
In relation to the report
“The Adoption Remains, but the Records Have Vanished”
#HereAreTheFacts
This article was written based solely on the statements of the interviewees,
so the NCRC is providing its own official position.
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Image 3 Translation:
NCRC Fact Clarification
The claim made in the interview with the second-generation overseas adoptee Marrit Kim van der Staaij—that the National Center for the Rights of the Child (NCRC) refused to conduct a DNA test—is not true.
The NCRC supports "family tracing for unregistered overseas adoptees" by issuing a certificate of unregistered adoption, enabling them to be recognized as missing children.
Once recognized as a missing child, DNA samples can be collected by the National Police Agency in accordance with Article 11 of the Act on the Protection and Support of Missing Children, and these samples can be compared with those of biological parents or siblings to determine family relationships.
For unregistered overseas adoptees residing abroad, DNA samples are collected with the cooperation of diplomatic missions overseas.
However, since the DNA testing under the Missing Children Act is a procedure intended for missing children and their searching family members, individuals like Ms. Marrit Kim van der Staaij, who is a second-generation overseas adoptee, cannot be recognized as missing children and are therefore not eligible for DNA testing under this law.
Accordingly, it is not that the NCRC refused the test, but rather that it could not be provided under the current legal framework.
The NCRC will continue working toward institutional improvements, including consultation with relevant agencies, to expand eligibility for DNA testing among adoptees.
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Image 4 Translation:
NCRC Fact Clarification
Regarding the overseas adoptee Mr. Mathieu Seongtan, the claim that the National Center for the Rights of the Child (NCRC) does not disclose information about biological parents is not true.
Mr. Mathieu suspects he suffers from "fatal familial insomnia," but due to a lack of genetic information from his biological parents, he is unable to receive an accurate diagnosis or corresponding support from the French government.
In August 2024, he requested disclosure of his biological parents’ information from the NCRC.
According to Article 36, Paragraph 3 of the Special Adoption Act, when a biological parent is deceased or in a comparable condition where consent cannot be given, the adoptee’s information may be disclosed without parental consent in cases of special need, such as medical purposes.
However, in this case, the biological parents are still alive.
Therefore, under Article 36, Paragraph 2 of the Special Adoption Act, explicit consent from the biological parents is required for information disclosure. Without such consent, the information cannot legally be released.
The NCRC has followed the legal procedures and attempted to contact the biological parents—whose address was verifiable—through various methods, including:
Sending three registered letters
Publishing media outreach for family tracing
Making phone calls
Sending Mathieu’s YouTube story video
Conducting four on-site visits
Despite these efforts, no response was received.
The NCRC deeply sympathizes with Mr. Mathieu’s difficult circumstances and will continue to attempt contact with his biological mother.
At the same time, we will systematically review potential improvements to the laws and regulations governing adoptee information disclosure, and do our utmost to uphold adoptees’ right to know.
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Below—NCRC’s Original Image Text From It’s Facebook Post Beginning Here:
