Korea Policy Briefing: “…3rd Adoption Policy Committee Held.” Contains IMPORTANT INFO. regarding the transfer of ALL files from NCRC to the Seongam Branch of the National Archives!
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PAPERSLIP NOTE:
IMPORTANT!!!
NCRC plans to selectively disinfect former Korean Adoption Agency files which are currently stored at NCRC’s Temporary Storage Facility in Goyang, Gyeonggi-do, starting in October 2026 and concluding in November or December 2026, in preparation for eventual transfer to the Seongam Branch of the National Archives!
Please see the article linked above for the latest information.
How this may impact future visits to NCRC’s two locations and NCRC’s ability to fulfill Adoptees’ Petition for Adoption Information Disclosure requests remains to be seen.
In other news, NCRC has hired additional workers which appears to be expediting fulfillment of Adoptees’ Petition for Adoption Information Disclosure requests.
Excerpts from the Korea Policy Briefing below:
“Furthermore, approximately 240,000 adoption records transferred from private (Korean) adoption agencies are currently stored (at NCRC’s) temporary archives. Prior to their transfer to the (Seongam Branch of The) National Archives of Korea, tests for harmful bacteria and pests (scheduled for October 2026) and selective disinfection will be conducted to ensure safe preservation. Records completing these treatments will be transferred sequentially, targeting completion between November and December (2026).”
“Delays in (NCRC’s) adoption information disclosure services are also being addressed. Dedicated information disclosure staff was expanded from 5 to 20 personnel. To reduce long waiting periods previously required to verify birth parents' consent, procedures were modified to first provide de-identified personal information. Consequently, the adoption information disclosure processing rate increased from approximately 16% at the end of June to 26% by the end of August. Going forward, the government plans to offer practical support for adoptees seeking their roots by systematically connecting them to post-adoption follow-up services, such as birth parent reunions.”
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Above: Paperslip’s graphic based on a screenshot from Google Maps, illustrating the distance between NCRC’s Temporary Storage Facility in Goyang, Gyeonggi-do and the Seongam Branch of the National Archives.
Please note that we PRESUME that it will be the Seongam Branch of the National Archives to which ALL former Korean Adoption Agency files will be moved. That has been NCRC’s plan for a while now.
ALL former Korean Adoption Agency files are currently stored at NCRC’s Temporary Storage Facility in Goyang, Gyeonggi-do. However, Korea’s National Archives requires that any documents entering their system be treated for bugs / pests. This means that prior to the likely eventual transfer of ALL former Korean Adoption Agency files from NCRC’s Temporary Storage Facility in Goyang, Gyeonggi-do (presumably) to the Seongam Branch of the National Archives, at least SOME of these documents will be treated for pests. The article below suggests that this process may begin in October 2026 and be completed in November or December 2026.
We do not know how disruptive this transfer may be to Adoptees’ future visits to NCRC’s two locations in Seoul.
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Korea Policy Briefing:
“122 Placements Recorded as of September Following Transition to Public Adoption System; 3rd Adoption Policy Committee Held.”
Thank you to a Paperslip Contributor for the link.
Some BOLDS and all blue highlighting ours.
Posted to Paperslip on October 2nd, 2026.
English translation via Google Gemini.
According to Google Gemini:
“This is an official government press release published on Korea Policy Briefing (korea.kr), the official news and press platform operated by the South Korean government (Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism).
Details of the Publication:
Platform Name: Korea Policy Briefing (대한민국 정책브리핑)
Website: korea.kr (Official Republic of Korea government portal)
Publishing Agency: Ministry of Health and Welfare (보건복지부)
Document Type: Government Press Release (보도자료)
Release Date: October 2, 2026”
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“Press Release
Release Date & Time: Friday, October 2, 2026
(For release after the conclusion of the committee meeting - to be notified separately)
Distributed: Thursday, October 1, 2026
122 Placements Recorded as of September Following Transition to Public Adoption System; 3rd Adoption Policy Committee Held
Discussions held on settling the public adoption system and guaranteeing adoption rights -
Permanent preservation of records and strengthened information disclosure services to support adoptees in tracing their roots -
On Friday, October 2, the Ministry of Health and Welfare (Minister Jeong Eun-kyeong) convened the 3rd Adoption Policy Committee to review progress since the reorganization of the public adoption system in July last year and to discuss practical measures for safeguarding the rights of adoptees and their families.
In July 2025, the government fully overhauled the adoption framework, transitioning all child adoption procedures—previously handled by private agencies—to a public adoption system managed under the responsibility of the central government, local governments, and public institutions. This step was taken to strengthen public accountability throughout the adoption process, prioritizing the "best interests of the child."
With the public system transition, prospective adoptive parents initially submitted adoption applications through a single window, resulting in a sudden surge of applications that caused procedural delays. In response, the Ministry implemented adoption procedure improvement measures starting March 19. The application process was shifted online, and support measures were rolled out, including expanding mandatory basic training sessions for prospective adoptive parents from twice to four times a month and securing additional regional training locations (such as Daejeon and Daegu). Additionally, 13 extra personnel were hired to conduct home study evaluations of prospective adoptive parents, and the subcommittee responsible for reviewing child-parent matching increased its sessions from once to twice a month.
As a result, significant procedural improvements were achieved by the end of September compared to March 19:
Prospective families completing home study evaluations increased nearly threefold, from 109 to 322 families.
Prospective families completing basic training doubled, rising from 323 to 652 families.
These procedural enhancements led to a direct increase in actual placements. Placement numbers jumped from just 16 at the end of March to 122 by the end of September, allowing these children to move forward to the court approval stage.
Furthermore, approximately 240,000 adoption records transferred from private adoption agencies are currently stored in temporary archives. Prior to their transfer to the National Archives of Korea, tests for harmful bacteria and pests (scheduled for October) and selective disinfection will be conducted to ensure safe preservation. Records completing these treatments will be transferred sequentially, targeting completion between November and December.
Delays in adoption information disclosure services are also being addressed. Dedicated information disclosure staff was expanded from 5 to 20 personnel. To reduce long waiting periods previously required to verify birth parents' consent, procedures were modified to first provide de-identified personal information. Consequently, the adoption information disclosure processing rate increased from approximately 16% at the end of June to 26% by the end of August. Going forward, the government plans to offer practical support for adoptees seeking their roots by systematically connecting them to post-adoption follow-up services, such as birth parent reunions.
Minister Jeong Eun-kyeong stated, "The ultimate goal of public adoption is to create a society where every child grows up healthily in a happy family, and where adoptees can fully discover their identity and feel respected. We will actively reflect feedback from the field to swiftly refine procedural steps so that children can meet warm families in a timely manner."
[Attachments]
Overview of the Adoption Policy Committee
List of Adoption Policy Committee Members
Implementation Status of Domestic Adoption Process Improvement Measures
Department in Charge
Overall Coordination:
Director General for Population and Child Policy: Team Leader Yoon Jang-yeol (044-202-3550)
Adoption Policy Team: Deputy Director Kim Ji-hyun (044-202-3551)
Adoption Policy Committee Secretariat:
National Center for Rights of the Child (NCRC), Adoption Business Division: Department Head Noh Ha-na (02-6454-8601)
Adoption Practical Support Department: Manager Song Jeong-hun (02-6454-8632)
Attachment 1: Overview of the Adoption Policy Committee
Committee Overview:
Legal Basis: Article 12 of the Special Act on Domestic Adoption
Functions: Deliberation on policies to promote domestic adoption, and deliberation/resolution on individual adoption cases
Matters regarding the formulation and evaluation of plans to promote domestic adoption
Selection of standards and curriculum for prospective adoptive parent training
Matters concerning procedural and institutional improvements in adoption
Matching decisions (child to adoptive parents) and decisions/matching for children subject to international adoption (Subcommittees)
Status: Special Committee under the Child Policy Coordination Committee
Chairperson: Minister of Health and Welfare
Members: Appointed or commissioned by the Minister for a 2-year term from academic experts, medical/legal experts, nominees by the Minister of National Court Administration, and individuals with rich knowledge and experience in adoption
Composition: Up to 50 members, including the Chairperson
Policy Committee: Up to 15 members designated by the Chairperson per meeting
Subcommittees: 2 subcommittees (Domestic Adoption, International Adoption) established to deliberate and resolve individual adoption cases, each consisting of up to 10 members (Enforcement Decree)
* Deliberation and resolutions by a subcommittee are deemed to be those of the Committee (Article 12, Paragraph 6 of the Act).
Quorum: Quorum requires attendance of at least 2/3 of registered members; resolutions pass with a majority vote of those present.
Support Organization: Secretariat established and operated within the National Center for Rights of the Child (NCRC).
Attachment 2: List of Adoption Policy Committee Members
(Ordered by legal requirement category, then alphabetically by Korean name)
1. Chairperson
Name: Jeong Eun-kyeong
Affiliation & Title: Minister of Health and Welfare
2. Academia
Name: Kim Hyeong-mo
Affiliation & Title: Professor, Dept. of Social Welfare, Kyonggi University
3. Academia
Name: Noh Chung-rae
Affiliation & Title: Professor, Dept. of Social Welfare, Ewha Womans University
4. Academia
Name: Park Hyun-sun
Affiliation & Title: Professor, Dept. of Social Welfare, Sejong University
5. Academia
Name: Cho So-yeon
Affiliation & Title: Adjunct Professor, Dept. of Social Welfare, Soongsil University
6. Medical
Name: Jeon Ji-hyun
Affiliation & Title: Professor, Dept. of Pediatrics, Gangnam CHA Medical Center
7. Legal
Name: Choi In-hae
Affiliation & Title: Attorney, Soongin Law Firm
8. Court Administration Nominee
Name: Park Geun-jeong
Affiliation & Title: Presiding Judge, Seoul Family Court
9. Policy, Practice, Experience
Name: Kim Seong-mi
Affiliation & Title: Secretary General, Global Overseas Adoptees' Link (G.O.A.'L)
10. Policy, Practice, Experience
Name: Kim Yu-im
Affiliation & Title: President, National Center for Rights of the Child (NCRC)
11. Policy, Practice, Experience
Name: Oh Chang-hwa
Affiliation & Title: Representative, National Adoption Families Alliance
12. Policy, Practice, Experience
Name: Lee Ju-yeon
Affiliation & Title: Research Fellow, Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs
13. Policy, Practice, Experience
Name: Jeon Se-hee
Affiliation & Title: Team Leader, Adoptee Rights Advocacy Team
14. Policy, Practice, Experience
Name: Jeong Phil-hyun
Affiliation & Title: Director, Jeonbuk Child Foster Care Support Center
15. Policy, Practice, Experience
Name: Choi Soon-young
Affiliation & Title: Domestic Adoptee
16. Policy, Practice, Experience
Name: Hong Gyeong-min
Affiliation & Title: President, Korea Adoption Services / MPK
Attachment 3: Implementation Status of Domestic Adoption Process Improvement Measures
1. Application Method
Improvement Content: Registered mail → Online application
Implementation Performance: Online application and document submission feature launched on the Adoption Information Disclosure System (registered mail accepted concurrently).
Effective Date: April 30, 2026
2. Education Expansion
Improvement Content: 2 times/month → 4 times/month, regional sessions, 3-stage restructuring
Implementation Performance:
Operated 4 times/month (15 families per session); held in non-capital regions (Daejeon, Daegu).
Added new courses: Parent-Child Attachment Formation (Apr 2026) and Special Education for Raising Children with Special Needs (Sep 2026).
Effective Date: April 10, 2026
3. Expansion of Evaluation Personnel
Improvement Content: 13 → 26 staff
Implementation Performance:
Recruited 13 additional home study evaluators (1st round: 8, 2nd round: 5).
Standardization of home study evaluation criteria currently underway.
Effective Date: May–July 2026
4. Subcommittee Operation
Improvement Content: 1 time/month → 2–3 times/month
Implementation Performance:
Held 2–3 times per month starting April 2026.
Prioritized cases of children under facility care.
Prioritized foster parents for matching deliberation regarding foster children.
Effective Date: April 2026
5. Adjustment of Matching Confirmation Timing
Improvement Content: Adjusted issue timing, regulated notification period
Implementation Performance:
Issued immediately upon child's first meeting (or prior to meeting if requested), rather than based on expected court approval date.
Advance notice given within 1 week after matching; written notice issued within 10 days.
Effective Date: April 10, 2026
6. Court Stage Procedures
Improvement Content: Working-level consultative body
Implementation Performance:
Held working-level meeting among relevant agencies (Apr 10); operated working body between Court Administration & NCRC (May 27–present).
MOU signed between NCRC and Korea Legal Aid Center for Family Relations (Apr 30) to provide legal support for prospective parents.
Effective Date: April 2026–present
7. Status Tracking Guidance
Improvement Content: Inquiry-based → Always accessible online
Implementation Performance: Provided online progress tracking and Q&A features for families applying online.
Effective Date: April 30, 2026
8. Personnel Expansion
Improvement Content: NCRC adoption practice staff
Implementation Performance: Expanded Adoption Business Division staff from 40 to 60 personnel (14 via supplementary budget, 6 via regular increase, deployed in July).
Effective Date: July 2026
9. Inter-Agency Governance
Improvement Content: Public-private consultative body
Implementation Performance: Operated Public-Private Consultative Body for Adoption System Reform (chaired by 1st Vice Minister) (May 6–present).
Effective Date: May 2026–present”