Acronym Salad.
Got Acronyms? We’re not sure what kind of utensils those are, though…
For Korean Adoptees, terminology related to the topic of Korean Adoption can often feel like a festive ACRONYM SALAD. So many acronyms! SMH. Below we break down some of the most common acronyms you may come across on this site, and in the wilds of information related to the topic of Korean Adoption.
A:
AAPI: Asian American and Pacific Islander.
AC: Adoption Center (One of KSS’ Western Partner Adoption Agencies).
ACSS: Adoptive Child Study Summary
*Please note that this was a KSS specific document ONLY. Please see:
English Adoptive Child Study Summary (English ACSS)
Korean Adoptive Child Study Summary (Korean ACSS)
You can read about how we discovered the formerly secret Korean ACSS and coined its name here.
AID (Petition for Adoption Information Disclosure, through NCRC).
AKA: Also Known As. (AKA is a Korean Adoptee led organization which promotes community).
AF: Adoptive Father.
AM: Adoptive Mother.
AP: Adoptive Parent.
B:
BBC: British Broadcasting Corporation
BF: Birth Father.
BFF. Best Friends Forever.
BFS: Birth Family Search. (At least for now, as of February 2026, official birth family search requests in Korea must go through NCRC). But there are other forms of birth family search.
BM: Birth Mother.
C:
CHBH: Choon Hyun Babies Home in Gwangju - A major “Feeder Orphanage” for KSS, located in Gwangju, Jeolla Province. Read more about CHBH here.
CPS: Child Placement Services (Former Korean Adoption Agency: CPS became SWS became KWS).
D:
DK: Denmark
DL: David Livingstone (Predecessor to ECWS and ESWS).
DMZ: Demilitarized Zone.
DNA: Deoxyribonucleic Acid. (Who knew? Anyway, take ALL possible DNA tests if you have interest in birth family search).
E:
ECWS: Eastern Child Welfare Society (Former Korean Adoption Agency which became ESWS).
ESWS: Eastern Social Welfare Society (Former Korean Adoption Agency and formerly called ECWS).
From the KAS website:
”Eastern Social Welfare Society
1971 Established a Christian Crusade in Korea
1972 Started adoption services
1976 Established Eastern Child Welfare Society
1997 Changed its name into Eastern Social Welfare Society”
F:
F-4 Visa: (“The F-4 Overseas Korean visa is a 5-year, multiple-entry visa for foreign nationals (and their descendants) who previously held Korean citizenship, allowing them to live and work in South Korea for up to 2 years per entry. It offers extensive employment freedom (except simple manual labor) and can be applied for at a Korean consulate or within Korea.)” (source: Google AI)
*(The F-4 visa is one used by many Korean Adoptees who live in Korea. GOAL is the primary source of assistance for Korean Adoptees with the F-4 visa process).
FAC: Family Adoption Consultants / Foreign Adoption Consultants / FAC / F&CS Foster Care and Adoption Service (One of KSS’ Western Partner Adoption Agencies).
FB: Facebook.
FFS: For F*cks Sake — The expression Korean Adoptees make when looking at all these acronyms.
FOIA: Freedom of Information Act - For US Adoptees only. US Adoptees from any Korean or US Adoption Agency can submit a FOIA request. Please be sure to read our WARNINGS about FOIA!
G:
GAIPS: Governmental Adoption Information Post Services (GAIPS was a predecessor to the Korean Public Institutions KAS and NCRC).
GOAL: Global Overseas Adoption Link. (A longstanding NGO based in Seoul which assists Adoptees with birth family search and with common topics related to Korean Adoptees, such as living in Korea, F-4 visa and dual citizenship, etc).
H:
H-Mart: ‘The "H" in "H Mart" stands for the store's original name, Han Ah Reum (한아름), which means "an armful" in Korean.’
I:
IG: Instagram.
IKAA: International Korean Adoptee Associations. IKAA has chapters around the world and hosts a conference in Seoul every 3 years.
ISS: International Social Service — (One of KSS’ Western Partner Adoption Agencies)
J:
K:
KAD: Korean Adoptee.
KAS: Korea Adoption Services (Korean Public Institution and predecessor to NCRC). NCRC still uses the old KAS website.
KCARE: Korea Central Adoption Resources. (KCARE was a predecessor to NCRC).
Kekeke (often written as ㅋㅋㅋ): “In Korean, ”ㅋㅋㅋ“ (pronounced ”kekeke“) is a form of laughter, similar to ”lol“ or ”haha“ in English. It represents giggling or laughing and is often used in text messages and online communication.”
K-ETA: Korea Electronic Travel Authorization. (This is sometimes though not always required to travel to Korea from another country. Your country’s requirements may vary, and change over time).
KL: On the English Adoptive Child Study Summary documents of KSS Adoptees, “KL” often precedes the K-Numbers of KSS Adoptees who were adopted through Lutheran Social Services (LSS). The “L” in KL stands for “Lutheran Social Services (LSS)”. “K” presumably stands for “Korea” or “KSS”.
KNPA: Korean National Police Agency. (The KNPA test is a DNA test which Adoptees can take either at a Korean police station or at a Korean consulate in their Western home country). Please note that taking this test requires an Adoption Certificate (which is only good for 3 months) from NCRC.
KSS: Korea Social Service (Former Korean Adoption Agency. KSS is the main subject of Paperslip.org — this Korean Adoption Agency ONLY adopted to the US, Netherlands, Denmark, and Switzerland between 1964—2012).
*Please note that KSS (Korea Social Service) did NOT adopt to Sweden! That was CPS / SWS / KWS.
KW: On the English Adoptive Child Study Summary documents of KSS Adoptees, “WH” or “KW” often precedes the K-Numbers of KSS Adoptees who were adopted through Welcome House (WH). The “WH” stands for “Welcome House”. “K” presumably stands for “Korea” or “KSS”.
KWS: Korea Welfare Society (Former Korean Adoption Agency: CPS became SWS became KWS). It was KWS which adopted to Sweden (amongst other countries including the US and Canada).
*Please note that KWS (Korea Welfare Society) is NOT the same as KSS (Korea Social Service)!
L:
LTC: Love The Children (One of KSS’ Western Partner Adoption Agencies)
LSS: Lutheran Social Services (One of KSS’ Western Partner Adoption Agencies).
M:
MBC: Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation. (MBC is a major S. Korean television and radio broadcaster).
MI: Michigan
MN: Minnesota
N:
NA: National Archives (of Korea). ALL former Korean Adoption Agency files are likely to move to the Seongam branch National Archives in the early half of 2026 — TBD.
NA: National Assembly. (The National Assembly is Korea’s version of the U.S. Congress).
NA: National Audit. (The National Audit is an annual S. Korean government audit that usually occurs in October).
NCRC: National Center for the Rights of the Child (This is a Korean Public Institution. As of February 2026, ALL former Korean Adoption Agency files are currently housed at NCRC’s Temporary Storage Facility in Goyang, Gyeonggi-do). However, ALL former Korean Adoption Agency files will likely move to the Seongam Branch of the National Archives sometime in the first half of 2026.
NEST: Actually we are not sure if NEST is an acronym, but it is an NGO which partners with NCRC to assist those Adoptees for whom NCRC has located a birth parent. NEST assists in the reunion process between Adoptees and Korean birth family.
NFIA: Netherlands Foundation for Intercountry Adoption (A predecessor to the KSS Partner Western Adoption Agency Wereldkinderen in the Netherlands).
NGO: Non Governmental Organization.
NK: Nam Kwang Orphanage in Busan - One of KSS’ major “Feeder Orphanages” in Busan. Read more about Nam Kwang Orphanage here.
NK: North Korea
NL: Netherlands
NM: Natural Mother (This term shows up in the documents of some Korean Adoptees and refers to the Korean birth mother of the Adoptee. Some Adoptees consider “Natural Mother” to be a more PC / politically correct term than “birth mother”, since the term “birth mother” was the invention of adoption agencies and Western social workers).
O:
OH: Ohio.
OKA: Overseas Korean Agency. (OKA is a Korean government entity that has a relatively new “Dedicated Window for Adopted Koreans’ Inquiries” at the Overseas Korean Services Support Center in Seoul). See their website here:
https://www.oka.go.kr/eng/web/main.do
OKAG: Overseas Korean Adoptees Gathering. (An annual trip to S. Korea sponsored by OKA. Please see information on the 2026 OKAG conference here).
OPD: Outpatient Department (This document was part of some or many KSS Adoptees’ files, but not many KSS Adoptees have been able to obtain access to this document, and few are aware of its existence. This document was the internal medical documentation of a child who was being treated at KSS).
P:
PA: Pennsylvania.
PAP: Prospective Adoptive Parent.
PAS: Post Adoption Services. (KSS’ Post Adoption Services closed on July 19th, 2025, following the transfer of ALL former Korean Adoption Agency files to NCRC). It is still possible to visit the general area where the KSS campus once existed.
Petition for AID (Petition for Adoption Information Disclosure, through NCRC).
PISS: Public Information Sharing System (The database used by NCRC in birth family search).
Q:
R:
S:
SBS: Seoul Broadcasting System.
SK: South Korea
SMH: Shaking my head. (Something we do when we think about the current state of birth family search).
SWS: Social Welfare Society (Former Korean Adoption Agency: CPS became SWS became KWS).
T:
TC: Travel Certificate (This original Korean travel document may alternately say “Travel Certificate” or “Passport” on the cover. Regardless of the text, ALL of the documents used for Adoptees when they first left Korea for the West were Travel Certificates — not Passports.
TDS: Terre des Hommes: (One of KSS’ Western Partner Adoption Agencies).
TRC: Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Republic of Korea. (Please see the PAPERSLIP BLOG for information on TRC 3).
TRC 2: Second Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Republic of Korea (2020-2025).
TRC 3: Third Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Republic of Korea (2026 - ?) (Please see the PAPERSLIP BLOG for information on TRC 3).
TW: Trigger Warning.
U:
U.N. Club: United Nations Club. (This terminology is sometimes found in the Adoptive Child Study Summary documents of KSS Adoptees, and refers to the clubs frequented by US military members who were stationed in S. Korea, particularly in the 1960s and 1970s).
V:
W:
WH: Welcome House (One of KSS’ Western Partner Adoption Agencies).
X:
Y:
YTN: Yonhap Television News (Korean TV station).
Z:
+
When Adoptees confuse KSS with KWS, it makes Grumpy Ahjummah even more grumpy! *^_^*