KSS Adoptees may not realize how much more information they can now obtain from NCRC — far more information than it was possible to obtain previously from KSS.
As more KSS Adoptees who have submitted a Petition for Adoption Information Disclosure to NCRC have their requests fulfilled — receiving copies of their former KSS files — more Adoptees are gaining access to information that was previously NOT obtainable from KSS.
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Examples of previously unobtainable — or difficult to obtain — documents which KSS Adoptees CAN NOW OBTAIN from NCRC include:
Medical Files — such as OPD (Outpatient Department) Charts from KSS’ former on site “Han Hwa Children’s Medical Clinic”. KSS kept medical files for many KSS Adoptees. These medical files were typically never shared before with KSS Adoptees or their adoptive parents.
English Adoptive Child Study Summary KSS often told Adoptees in the past that they did not have a copy of this document, but that was a LIE. KSS did retain a copy of this document for almost all KSS Adoptees.
Family Registration Documents. KSS may have kept in your file family registration documents for birth family members you didn’t even know you had. This will just depend on an Adoptee’s case. NCRC may withhold or highly redact these documents if they are present in your former KSS file — however, IF these documents are present in your file, then NCRC should be able to conduct a search based off of this information.
Printed Email Correspondence With KSS. KSS printed all email correspondence with KSS Adoptees and kept these printed emails in each KSS Adoptee’s file folder.
Etc.
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It is well worth it to submit a Petition for Adoption Information Disclosure request to NCRC.
Please note that you can submit a NEW request to NCRC ONCE PER YEAR.
In other words, if there is (partly redacted) birth parent information in your former Korean Adoption Agency file at NCRC, it is NCRC which can perform a birth family search once per year.
You do NOT need to request your former Korean Adoption Agency multiple times. You may, however, request a birth family search from NCRC once per year.
This assumes that NCRC has birth parent information to go on.
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Please note that you may uncover uncomfortable information through the NCRC process.
It is impossible to be completely prepared for this, and it should not prevent you from requesting your information. Unfortunately this is a rite of passage for Adoptees seeking their background information.
We recommend that you reach out to the Korean Adoptee community if you need support throughout this process.
KSS (Korea Social Service) Adoptees ONLY are welcome to join: