Korean Joong Ang Daily: 240,000+ Korean Adoption Records to Be Inspected, Disinfected, and Transferred to the National Archives in November and December 2026.
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.
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 upcoming transfer of ALL former Korean Adoption Agency files from NCRC’s Temporary Storage Facility in Goyang, Gyeonggi-do to the Seongam Branch of the National Archives, at least SOME of these documents will be treated for pests.
We do not know how disruptive this transfer may be to Adoptees’ future visits to NCRC’s two locations in Seoul.
Korean Joong Ang Daily Reports:
240,000+ Korean Adoption Records to Be Inspected, Disinfected, and Transferred to the National Archives in November and December.
“The government also plans to move more than 240,000 adoption records taken over from private (Korean adoption) agencies to the National Archives of Korea. The records, now held (at NCRC’s) temporary storage (facility in Goyang, Gyeonggi-do), will be inspected for harmful bacteria and insects this month (October 2026) and disinfected where needed. They will be transferred in batches in November and December (2026) as treatment is completed.”
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Paperslip Note:
We PRESUME that ALL former Korean Adoption Agency files will be transferred to the Seongam Branch of the National Archives. This has long been NCRC’s plan. However, the article above does not confirm the name of the specific branch of the National Archives to which the files will be moved.
Please note that the article we shared here indicates that NCRC will begin to disinfect the files beginning in October 2026. This may basically be during IKAA.
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Other Korean Articles CONFIRM this:
Newspim Article:
“Welfare Ministry: Adoption Process Accelerates After Public Adoption System; Matching Increases Eightfold”
Translation via ChatGPT.
Article published: October 2, 2026, 11:18 a.m.
Last updated: October 2, 2026, 11:18 a.m.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare said on October 2 that adoptions matched through the public adoption system increased 7.6-fold.
Procedural improvements, including moving adoption applications online, have had an effect.
The transfer of adoption records and the disclosure of adoption information are also progressing.
“Note: The “AI Key Summary” above was automatically generated and may not be accurate.
Home-environment assessments for prospective adoptive parents increased threefold
Basic training completed by prospective adoptive parents doubled
Adoption records to be transferred to the National Archives in November
[Sejong = NewsPim] Reporter Shin Do-kyung — Following the transition to the public adoption system, the number of adoption matches increased 7.6-fold, from 16 as of the end of March to 122 as of the end of September.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare announced these figures on the morning of October 2 at the third Adoption Policy Committee meeting.
In July 2025, the Ministry of Health and Welfare completely reorganized the adoption process, which had previously been handled through private adoption agencies, into a public adoption system in which the national government, local governments, and public institutions are responsible for the overall process. The measure was intended to prioritize the best interests of children and strengthen public responsibility throughout the adoption process.
Minister of Health and Welfare Jung Eun-kyung delivers opening remarks while chairing the first Adoption Policy Committee meeting, held at the National Center for the Rights of the Child in Jung-gu, Seoul, on September 17, 2025. [Photo = NewsPim database]
Following the transition to the public system, prospective adoptive parents began submitting applications through a single channel, which led to a concentration of applications at once and delays in the adoption process. In response, the government began implementing measures to improve the adoption process on March 19.
Specifically, the Ministry of Health and Welfare moved adoption applications online. It also introduced measures to support prospective adoptive parents, including increasing the frequency of basic training sessions from twice a month to four times a month and securing additional regional training locations in places such as Daejeon and Daegu. The ministry also hired 13 additional personnel to conduct home-environment assessments of prospective adoptive parents and increased the frequency of meetings of the subcommittee that reviews matches between prospective adoptive parents and children from once a month to twice a month.
As a result of these improvements, the number of households of prospective adoptive parents that had completed home-environment assessments increased by approximately threefold, from 109 as of March 19 to 322 as of the end of September. The number of households that had completed basic training also doubled, from 323 to 652.
These procedural improvements led to an actual increase in adoption matches. The number of matches rose sharply from just 16 at the end of March to 122 at the end of September. These children will now enter the stage of obtaining court approval for their adoptions.
The National Center for the Rights of the Child is currently storing approximately 240,000 volumes of adoption records transferred from private adoption agencies in a temporary archive. Before the records are transferred to the National Archives, the center plans to inspect them this month for harmful bacteria and pests to ensure their safe preservation. Beginning in November and continuing through December, records for which the necessary measures have been completed will be transferred sequentially.
Delays in the adoption information disclosure service are also being addressed. The number of staff dedicated to information disclosure has been increased from five to 20. The procedure for providing information, which previously took a long time because officials had to determine whether biological parents had consented to disclosure, has been changed so that information is provided first after personal information has been de-identified.
As a result, the processing rate for adoption-information disclosure requests increased from approximately 16% at the end of June to 26% at the end of August. The Ministry of Health and Welfare said it plans to provide more substantive support for adopted people seeking information about their roots by systematically connecting them with follow-up services, including support for reunions with biological parents.
Minister Jung Eun-kyung of the Ministry of Health and Welfare emphasized:
“The ultimate goal of public adoption is to create a society in which every child can grow up healthy and happily in a loving family, and adopted people can fully discover their identity and be respected. We will actively reflect the voices from the field and continue to improve the entire process with greater speed so that children can meet warm families at the appropriate time.”’
Contact: sdk1991@newspim.com
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YNA News:
“Ministry of Health and Welfare Holds Third Adoption Policy Committee Meeting; Completed Home-Environment Assessments Rise from 109 to 322 Households”
Translation via ChatGPT.
“Ministry of Health and Welfare Holds Third Adoption Policy Committee Meeting; Completed Home-Environment Assessments Rise from 109 to 322 Households
More than 240,000 adoption records to be transferred to National Archives starting next month after screening and disinfection
Adoption (CG)
[Provided by Yonhap News TV]
(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Seong Seo-ho — As the backlog in adoption procedures following the transition to the public adoption system has been reduced, the number of children matched with prospective adoptive parents increased from just 16 in March to 122 in September, an approximately 7.6-fold increase.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare said on October 2 that it held the third Adoption Policy Committee meeting to review major developments since the public adoption system was reorganized in July of last year.
Previously, the government had transitioned the child adoption process, which had been handled through private adoption agencies, to a public adoption system in July of last year, under which the national government, local governments, and public institutions assume responsibility.
Following the introduction of the public adoption system, prospective adoptive parents began submitting adoption applications through a single channel. This resulted in a surge of applications and delays in the adoption process. In response, the government began implementing measures to improve the adoption process on March 19 of this year.
As part of these measures, the adoption application process was moved online. The frequency of basic training for prospective adoptive parents was increased from twice a month to four times a month, while additional training locations outside the capital region were also secured.
The government also hired 13 additional personnel to conduct home-environment assessments of prospective adoptive parents. In addition, the frequency of meetings of the subcommittee that reviews matches between prospective adoptive parents and children was increased from once a month to twice a month.
As a result, by the end of last month, the number of households that had completed home-environment assessments had increased from 109 to 322, compared with March, when the adoption-process improvement measures began.
The number of households that had completed basic training also doubled, from 323 to 652.
As the adoption process improved, the number of actual child-adoptive-parent matches also increased. The number of matches rose from just 16 at the end of March to 122 at the end of September, an approximately 7.6-fold increase. These children are currently at the stage of obtaining adoption approval from the court.
Similarly, for the adoption-information disclosure service, which had also experienced delays, the government increased the number of staff dedicated to information disclosure from five to 20.
Previously, providing information could take a long time because officials had to determine whether the child's biological parents had consented to disclosure. The procedure has now been changed so that information is first provided after personal information has been de-identified.
As a result, the processing rate for adoption-information disclosure requests increased from 16% at the end of June to 26% at the end of August.
The government plans to transfer, in stages, the more than 240,000 adoption records received from private adoption agencies to the National Archives of Korea.
The adoption records currently being stored in a temporary archive will undergo inspections for harmful microorganisms and pests, as well as selective disinfection, this month to ensure their safe preservation. They are scheduled to be transferred to the National Archives of Korea within this year.
Minister of Health and Welfare Jung Eun-kyung said:
“The ultimate goal of public adoption is to create a society in which every child can grow up healthy and happily in a loving family, and in which adopted people can fully discover their identity and be respected. We will reflect the voices of those working in the field and continue to improve the entire process more rapidly so that children can meet warm families at the right time.”’
Contact: soho@yna.co.kr