Newsis Article:
”Nine Korean Adoptees from Sweden Seek Their Roots in Gwangju After Decades”.

Posted to Paperslip on October 11th, 2025.
Translation via ChatGPT.
Some bolds ours.
Please see original Korean article for photos.

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Important Paperslip Note:
Please note that KSS (Korea Social Service) did NOT adopt to Sweden.

The Korean Adoption Agency KWS (Korea Welfare Society) / formerly SWS (Social Welfare Society) / formerly CPS (Child Placement Services) adopted to Sweden. The Adoptees in the article below are Swedish Adoptees adopted through KWS / SWS / CPS. These Swedish Adoptees were NOT adopted through KSS (Korea Social Service).

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“Nine Korean Adoptees from Sweden Seek Their Roots in Gwangju After Decades

Published: October 10, 2025, 11:47 AM (KST)
By: Ryu Hyung-geun | Gwangju, Newsis

Nine Korean adoptees who were sent to Sweden decades ago are visiting Gwangju in hopes of finding their biological families.

According to the Gwangju Metropolitan Government on the 10th, these individuals will be in Gwangju from October 13 to 17 to search for their roots.

They are believed to have been adopted to Sweden through the Gwangju branch of the Korea Social Welfare Society (then known as the Jeonnam office of the Korea Foster Care Association, previously located at the old Red Cross Hospital) after being found or placed in shelters in the Gwangju and Jeollanam-do region between the late 1960s and early 1980s.

Adoptees include:

  • Anna Blades (Korean name: Kim Hak-bo)
    Born June 16, 1966 (est.), admitted to an orphanage on June 11, 1968, and adopted to Sweden on October 11 the same year.

  • Carina Wallskog Dahlin (Korean name: Seo Jeong-sook)
    Born March 10, 1971, registered birthplace: Icheon. Her mother passed away after birth and her father was missing. Raised by her maternal grandmother but was placed in care due to financial hardship. After staying with a foster family in Seoul, she was adopted to Sweden on October 8, 1971.

  • Charlotta von Seth (Korean name: Jeon Ja-young)
    Born March 20, 1978. Found near Daerim Shopping Center in Gyerim-dong, Gwangju, on September 18, 1981. Placed in Jeonnam Temporary Infant Shelter on September 19, transferred to Yeongsinwon in January 1983, and adopted on January 28, 1983.

  • Elisabeth Nylund (Korean name: Kim Mi-sun)
    Born September 19, 1967. Found as a lost child on a rural road in Hampyeong County, Jeonnam, on December 16, 1968. Transferred to Seoul and adopted on August 23, 1969.

  • Kee Frost Kotti (Korean name: Lee Ki-bok)
    Born May 1, 1970, in Yeosu. Entered Gwangju Infant Temporary Shelter on March 2, 1972, and adopted on July 19 the same year. Has a scar on the left shin.

  • Lee Minseon (Korean name: Lee Hyung-ja)
    Born August 25, 1972, registered in Jeonju. Found in Suncheon on November 9, 1972. Adopted overseas through Jeonnam Infant Shelter.

  • Malin Bergström (Korean name: Han Ok-hee)
    Born May 5, 1968. Found near Cheongju City Hall on March 23, 1969. Entered the Korea Foster Care Association’s Gwangju branch.

  • Maria Heimer (Korean name: Kim Sun-ae)
    Estimated birthdate August 5, 1968. Found near Sinmangwon, Gwangju, on December 27, 1968. Adopted on July 19, 1969.

  • Ulrika Huebner (Korean name: Lee Jang-mi)
    Born April 23, 1971. Found on a road in Jangseong County, Jeonnam, on June 1 the same year. Adopted on September 4.

These adoptees informed the City of Gwangju of their intent to visit through the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Sweden.

Gwangju City plans to support their search using available information such as Korean names, locations they were found, case numbers, and adoption details.

Additionally, on October 15 at 2 PM, Chosun University’s Department of Media and Communication will host a roundtable discussion at the Gwangju Visual Culture Center. The event will provide a space to discuss the historical context of international adoption, its emotional impact, and the significance of their journey to reconnect with their origins.

Sweden is the third-largest recipient of Korean adoptees globally, with about 10,000 Korean adoptees currently residing there.

Park Seon-cheol, Gwangju’s Ambassador for International Relations, stated, “Gwangju will fully support the adoptees’ efforts to find their families and create warm, lasting memories.”’