NEW! Step By Step KSS (Korea Social Service) Adoptee Birth Family Search.

Posted to Paperslip —June 29th, 2025.

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Please note that this page is UNDER CONSTRUCTION. We will make clear when this page is complete.

However, there is a great deal of information already present on this page. It is plenty of information to get you started.

If your native language is not English, we strongly recommend using ChatGPT to translate this page.

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Please Note:
The 4 major Korean Adoption Agencies are:

-Holt Children’s Inc. in Korea (not to be confused with Holt International — the Western branch of Holt)
-Eastern Social Welfare Society (ESWS) / formerly Eastern Child Welfare Society (ECWS)
-Korea Welfare Society (KWS) / formerly Social Welfare Society (SWS)
-*Korea Social Service (KSS)

*KSS ONLY adopted to the US, Netherlands, Denmark and Switzlerland from 1964-2012 through a specific list of Partner Western Adoption Agencies. If you were adopted to ANY other country, you are NOT a KSS Adoptee!

This page is written with KSS (Korea Social Service) Adoptees primarily in mind. However, some of the information can be broadly adapted to apply to ALL Korean Adoptees. Please read carefully to note what information is related ONLY to KSS Adoptees, and what information is broadly applicable to ALL Korean Adoptees.

Please do NOT contact KSS if you are NOT a KSS Adoptee! KWS (Korea Welfare Society) is NOT the same Korean Adoption Agency as KSS (Korea Social Service)!

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IMPORTANT NOTICE:

AFTER June 15th, 2025, it is NO LONGER POSSIBLE to submit a birth family search request or request for adoption documents — including the formerly secret “Korean Adoptive Child Study Summary” (a document unique to KSS) — directly to KSS in Seoul, either in person or via email.

This is because ALL Korean Adoption Agency files — including KSS’ files — move to the Korean Government Agency NCRC (National Center for the Rights of the Child) starting on July 19th, 2025.

NCRC has told us twice directly that KSS Adoptees will still be provided with the “KOREAN Adoptive Child Study Summary” if they submit a Petition for Adoption Information Disclosure (birth family search request) through NCRC via the KAS website after September 16th, 2025. However, it remains to be seen how reliably NCRC will be able to manage and locate KSS Adoptees’ files (or any Korean Adoptees’ files) following the start of the transfer on July 19th, 2025.

For questions about the historic transfer of ALL Korean Adoption Agency files — including KSS’ files — to NCRC starting on July 19th, 2025, please see:

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

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Regarding KSS’ Post Adoption Services Building In Seoul:

We assume that KSS’ last remaining building — its Post Adoption building in Seoul — will permanently close sometime after July 19th, 2025. However, a KSS social worker has said that KSS will remain for an unspecified period of time in the same location. KSS Adoptees will no longer be able to review their adoption files at KSS after June 15th, 2025. However, contact KSS if you plan to be in Korea and wish to visit the office — we simply do not know however what KSS’ response may be to your request:

Contact + Appointment Info for KSS - Korea Social Service - Korean Adoption Agency

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IMPORTANT!!!

KSS Adoptees — Try To Locate Your ENGLISH “Adoptive Child Study Summary”! Please see:

English Adoptive Child Study Summary Examples

*Please note that if you were adopted to Europe, your document title may be something different. However, the document will look similar to the examples above.

You should try to locate and READ and BACK UP this document, as this document MAY contain birth parent information for some KSS Adoptees.

(However, for many KSS Adoptees, this document may say that you were found with a “paper-slip” or “memo” or at a “police station” — which is frequently false Orphanization information).

Due to the fact that the transfer of ALL Korean Adoption Agency files — including KSS’ files — to NCRC may take YEARS to sort out (and it may NEVER be sorted out) — we cannot more strongly recommend that you BACK UP in MULTIPLE FORMATS (print / digital) all of the adoption paperwork currently in your possession. This is especially important if any of your adoption paperwork — such as the English or Korean Adoptive Child Study Summary — contains birth parent name/s and birthdate/s, or other important background information about a maternity clinic or hospital!

You will be allowed to submit good quality scans (or photos) of your documents in PDF format to NCRC via the KAS website — which is the future of birth family search for ALL Korean Adoptees, including KSS Adoptees.

*Frankly, make sure that you are organized BEFORE you submit a birth family search request to NCRC via the KAS website, because there is a time limit on how long they will spend on your birth family search, and they are extremely short staffed!

Please note you can make ONE birth family search request PER YEAR.

IF your adoption documents contain birth parent information, we STRONGLY URGE you to submit scans of your adoption documents in PDF format to NCRC via the KAS website when you submit your Petition for Adoption Information Disclosure (birth family search request) via the KAS website. Of course, NEVER submit originals anywhere.

We urge you to take charge of your information in this way, because there is no guarantee that NCRC will be able to successfully locate your adoption file which was transferred from KSS during the file transfer process, (beginning July 19th, 2025).

Please See:

Now More Than Ever, Safely Back Up Any Documents You Have Which Contain Birth Parent Information!

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Regarding The Future Of Birth Family Search Through NCRC via the KAS Website — Starting September 16th, 2025:

KSS Adoptees — and ALL Korean Adoptees — must wait until September 16th, 2025 to submit a Petition for Adoption Information Disclosure (birth family search request) to NCRC via the KAS website.

For the most relevant pages related to the future of birth family search AFTER July 19th, 2025, please see the DROPDOWN MENU on Paperslip’s homepage titled:

”AFTER July 19th, 2025, ALL Birth Family Search Requests Must Be Processed Through NCRC/KAS”:

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After ALL Korean Adoption Agency files start to move to NCRC (National Center for the Rights of the Child) on July 19th, 2025, ALL Korean Adoptees with an interest in birth family search will have to submit a Petition for Adoption Information Disclosure (birth family search request) through the
KAS (Korea Adoption Services) website — linked below. New requests will not be accepted until September 16th, 2025.

However, please be sure to read this IMPORTANT page BEFORE you submit your request to NCRC via the KAS website!

Reading and understanding the page below may save you YEARS of wasted time!

Now More Than Ever, Safely Back Up Any Documents You Have Which Contain Birth Parent Information!

KAS website — the portal for ALL future birth family search requests:

https://www.kadoption.or.kr/en/

Please note you can make ONE birth family search request PER YEAR.

Below:

NCRC’s Old Video for submitting a Petition for Adoption Information Disclosure (birth family search request) through the *now KAS website.

*Please note that KCARE is a former Korean Government Agency which preceded NCRC:

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URGENT Information For KSS Adoptees Who Plan To Visit Korea After June 15th, 2025 —
Regarding The Future of Requests For Adoption Certificates:

Apologies in advance — the information below is going to be CONFUSING. This is in large part because NCRC does not even know yet (as of June 15th, 2025) how it plans to handle future requests for Adoption Certificate/s. In the meantime, the time period between June 15th, 2025 - September 16th, 2025 (and through an unspecified end date) is an uncertain one for requesting the Adoption Certificate/s you need for on the ground search in Korea.

Please read below for more information about what Adoption Certificate/s are and what you may need them for. Read through this whole section for a general understanding, then read it again.

Technically you should still be allowed to request your Adoption Certificate/s from KSS between June 15th, 2025 - July 19th, 2025. However, KSS may need at least one week to get the Adoption Certificate/s to you — and they technically close on July 19th, 2025 — so the longer you wait to request your Adoption Certificate/s from KSS, the less likely it is that KSS will have time to respond to your request.

Please note — KSS never shares with Adoptees their exact timeline for things. So we are basically guessing at this timeline based on available information.

The information about Adoption Certificate/s below was originally posted here:

June 2025 — Paperslip's Visit To NCRC To Ask Questions About The Upcoming File Transfer

*Please note that the information below is generally applicable to ALL Korean Adoptees, but there is information which is SPECIFIC to ONLY KSS (Korea Social Service) Adoptees:

IF you are a KSS (Korea Social Service) Adoptee and you plan to visit Korea AFTER June 15th, 2025 and you have an interest in birth family search, it is VERY IMPORTANT that you read about the section in the post below regarding ADOPTION CERTIFICATES:

According to NCRC:
NCRC DOES NOT YET KNOW how Adoptees will request adoption certificates AFTER July 19th, 2025.

So if you plan to visit Korea AFTER June 15th, 2025, then you should REQUEST YOUR ADOPTION CERTIFICATE FROM KSS (or your Korean Adoption Agency) NOW — BEFORE JULY 19th, 2025!

Please note - different Korean Adoption Agencies may have different types of adoption certificates.

*KSS Adoptees PLEASE NOTE: You will need to submit a copy of your CURRENT PASSPORT showing the photo page to KSS in order to receive your adoption certificate/s relating to use in Korea: such as the Standard Adoption Certificate and Adoption Certificate for DNA Testing. KSS has recently stated that they will not accept only a Drivers License for the purpose of requesting Adoption Certificate/s.

*However we do not know if the same is true for NCRC in requesting an NCRC Certificate for the purpose of taking the KNPA DNA Test at a Korean Consulate in your Western country of adoption.

Please note that we only have specific information regarding KSS’ (Korea Social Services’) Adoption Certificates available. If you do not know the specific adoption certificates available for your specific Korean Adoption Agency, then we recommend that you join Facebook groups for your specific Korean Adoption Agency. You can find links to these Facebook groups here. Learn how to identify your Korean Adoption Agency here.

INFORMATION FOR KSS (KOREA SOCIAL SERVICE) ADOPTEES ONLY:

KSS (Korea Social Service) seems to have 2 different Adoption Certificates:

1. Standard Adoption Certificate
We believe that the “Standard Adoption Certificate” can be used for birth family search requests made at Jumin Centers, City Halls, Police Stations, and for the F-4 or Dual Citizenship process — but to be honest, we are not totally sure. It is best to contact KSS by email PRIOR TO JULY 19th, 2025 to request your adoption certificate/s and to state the purpose/s of the adoption certificate/s you are requesting, and the dates that you will be in Korea. Please see our important note about adoption certificates only being good for 3 months below.

2. Adoption Certificate for DNA Testing (the KNPA Test) at a Korean Police Station in Korea - please note you must specify your dates of travel and the police station you are going to take the DNA test at. We recommend specifying JONGNO Police Station (in Seoul).

Please note that Adoption Certificate/s are only good for 3 months. However, we strongly recommend you request your Adoption Certificate from KSS (or your relevant Korean Adoption Agency) NOW even if you plan to visit Korea over 3 months from now - because there may be a GAP OF TIME between when you can get your adoption certificate from KSS, and when you can get it from NCRC!

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For KSS Adoptees: We recommend that you request your adoption certificates for BOTH DNA testing in Korea AND for Dual Citizenship — even if you do not plan to apply for dual citizenship. Hopefully this covers all of the bases for you in birth family search in Korea in terms of adoption certificates. Do what you need to do to get your adoption certificates for the dates that you will be in Korea.

Please note that a separate NCRC Certificate is required if you wish to take the KNPA Test at a Korean Consulate in your home country of adoption. We do not know if NCRC will continue to provide THIS specific kind of adoption certificate between July 19th, 2025 - mid September 2025. We think it is best to request this NCRC Certificate NOW — prior to July 19th, 2025 — if you plan to take the KNPA Test at a Korean Consulate in your home country after July 19th, 2025. Supposedly the NCRC Certificate has no 3 month limitation — supposedly this NCRC Certificate no longer expires.

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If you plan to visit Korea, and wish to visit NCRC, please note their NEW address (as of early 2025):

IMPORTANT! New Changes Coming To NCRC in 2025 - Including NEW Address!

Please note that NCRC will be closed between June 16th - September 16th, 2025. They will not accept in person requests or respond to emails during this time.

Please see:

NCRC Notice: Temporary Suspension of New Adoption Information Disclosure Requests and Related FAQs

Please note that NCRC workers can write emails in English — however if you plan to visit in person in Seoul, you may need to hire a translator to both make an appointment by phone with NCRC and to visit with you in person. Most NCRC workers do not speak English.

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Please See Other Relevant Links Under The DROPDOWN MENU On Paperslip’s Homepage Called “KSS Birth Family Search”.

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DNA Testing:

If You Have Serious Interest In Birth Family Search, Please Take ALL Possible DNA Tests.

We recommend in the meantime that you use this time to take ALL possible DNA tests. Please see:

DNA Testing

Please be sure to read the section about Adoption Certificate/s above. You will need an Adoption Certificate to take the Korean Missing Persons / KNPA DNA test at a police station in Seoul, or the NCRC Certificate to take the same test at a Korean consulate in your Western country of adoption.

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KSS Adoptees ONLY are welcome to join the KSS Adoptee Facebook Group KSS Cribmates.

Please be sure to answer the membership questions! If you are not sure if you are a KSS Adoptee, please email us at paperslipadoptee@gmail.com

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If you are a KSS Adoptee who has questions about the birth family search process, please contact us at paperslipadoptee@gmail.com ONLY after you have read this page in its entirety.

We simply do not have the time to explain this page one-on-one for free if you have made no attempt to read it.

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We offer PAID Advisory Sessions for both KSS and non-KSS Adoptees for deeper dive questions (those which will take an hour for us to explain).

Please reach out to us at paperslipadoptee@gmail.com with specific questions.

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However, please do NOT consider us a 24 hour help desk for non-KSS Adoptee questions. We recommend joining online Korean Adoptee forums to connect with the community and to ask general questions.

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For links to other Facebook groups for non-KSS Adoptees, and for links to various Korean Adoptee Facebook groups, please see:

Korean Adoptee Resources - MAIN

Thank you!