“Eight adoptees from South Korea sue the Danish state and demand millions in compensation.”

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DR Nyheder Article:
“Eight adoptees from South Korea sue the Danish state and demand millions in compensation.”

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Originally published in Denmark on May 4th, 2026.
ChatGPT English translation posted to Paperslip on May 6th, 2026.
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Eight Danes who were adopted from South Korea are each demanding a quarter of a million kroner in compensation in the case.

Gitte Mose is among the eight adoptees who are suing the state.
By Marie Ravn Nielsen
Today at 06:28

“Eight adoptees from South Korea are suing the Danish state on Monday for violations of their human rights in connection with their adoption to Denmark as children.

They believe that the Danish authorities failed to uphold their responsibility to protect their rights and are each demanding 250,000 kroner in compensation — a total of two million kroner.

For the adoptees, the case is particularly about the right to identity, origin, and family life, and in a press release they refer to Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights.

• The Danish state acted in violation of Danish legislation and human rights at the time when South Koreans were adopted — including the right to private and family life, the press release states.

The case originates from an illegal adoption practice that took place from the 1970s until the 1990s.

Read also: South Korean children may have been adopted to Denmark under false identities

Here, thousands of children — primarily from South Korea — were adopted to Denmark under the pretext of being foundlings, but many were systematically taken from their parents, and incorrect information was recorded in the children’s documents.

The adoptions took place in collaboration between South Korean and Danish adoption agencies.

Author Eva Tind is one of the eight adoptees now suing the Danish state. She is pictured here at the Bogforum book fair in 2024.

Initiator hopes for compensation and support

The lawsuit comes after the Ministry of Social Affairs and Housing rejected a compensation claim that the eight adoptees submitted in November 2024. At the time, the reason for the rejection was that the case was considered time-barred.

Gitte Mose was the initiator of the compensation claim and is also part of the lawsuit. She came to Denmark from South Korea when she was three months old in 1982.

• It’s about the fact that, as an ordinary person — but also as an adopted person — you have the right to have a connection to your origins, she says about the case.

Gitte Mose hopes for financial compensation — both for the “hurt and pain” the adoptees have experienced, she says, but also because adoptees who do not know their origins can face significant expenses.

These could include, for example, travel to South Korea — either to experience the culture they come from or simply to search for biological family, she explains.

In addition, there may be costs for long-term therapy, she says — a need that can arise, for example, when you become a parent yourself.

• My own experience is that each time you go through different phases of life, new challenges or issues arise that you have to deal with, she says.

It is not only about compensation, but also about help and support for adoptees, Gitte Mose emphasizes.

The case could inspire other adoptees

Klaus Josefsen, an external associate professor in administrative law at Aarhus University and a lawyer at the law firm Printz, says that strong evidence will be required if the eight adoptees are to win the case.

• Because it is the individuals who must document that the state failed in their particular case, he says.

• If warnings can actually be found — meaning that Danish oversight authorities received warnings — then we begin to see what could be considered a “smoking gun.”

Klaus Josefsen believes that if the adoptees win, it could lead to more similar cases.

• It is a significant case that has been brought forward, and there is no doubt that if it has a favorable outcome for the eight plaintiffs, it will certainly inspire others, he says.

In South Korea, the authorities have issued a political apology, and the government has also decided that all international adoptions of children will be stopped from 2029.

In Denmark, the adoption system has been on hold since 2024 — meaning it is currently not possible to register to adopt children from abroad. However, Denmark has not issued an official apology to those who were adopted.”