KSS Adoption Paperwork: Possible Locations of Birth Parent Information.
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Not every KSS Adoptee’s English Adoptive Child Study Summary says that they were “abandoned” with “unknown parents” and found with a “paper-slip” or “memo”.
While this common “orphanization” language appears in countless KSS Adoptees’ English Adoptive Child Study Summary documents, it does NOT appear in ALL KSS Adoptees’ documents.
Many (though certainly not all) KSS Adoptees DO have birth parent information in the adoption paperwork already in their or their adoptive parents’ possession, without knowing it — or without realizing that this is more rare, and that this information can be used for a birth family search.
Birth parent(s) name(s) and birthdate(s) and even sometimes address(es) and more rarely 13 digit Korean ID number(s) DO sometimes appear in some KSS Adoptees’ paperwork already in their possession.
This is especially true for KSS Adoptees from the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s — however we have also seen this be the case for KSS Adoptees from the 1960s and 1970s.
Everyone’s case is different, and we cannot predict who will have birth parent information and who will not.
It is also SO important to understand that documents such as the formerly secret KOREAN Adoptive Child Study Summary was not regularly obtainable from KSS until 2021 when we accidentally figured out how to request and obtain this document from KSS.
The “Request Form for Preparation of Domestic Affiliation Documents” was NEVER obtainable from KSS prior to the transfer of all former KSS files to NCRC’s Temporary Storage Facility on July 19th, 2025.
The documents mentioned above — which you can now obtain from NCRC through a Petition for Adoption Information Disclosure request — MAY contain birth parent information, EVEN IF your English Adoptive Child Study Summary (or other KSS documents) say that you were “abandoned” with “unknown parents”.
This is why we say:
Your History Is More Than A Paperslip.
If you have interest in birth family search, please be sure to organize, READ, and have translated any of the both English AND Korean adoption documents in your possession.
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We strongly encourage KSS Adoptees to try to obtain as much adoption paperwork as they can — from their adoptive parents, or from the relevant Partner Western Adoption Agencies with whom KSS partnered in your adoption.
For U.S. KSS Adoptees — while we do NOT currently advise filing a FOIA request in the current times without FIRST consulting a trusted U.S. immigr. attorney, hopefully in the future FOIA will rebound. Please be sure to read our WARNINGS about the current FOIA process (for U.S. individuals only).
Please note that NOT ALL Partner Western Adoption Agencies still exist, but some DO still exist, and in some cases, documents can still be obtained from them.
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AI generated image by Paperslip.org
The first step in unlocking your history is unlocking your files…
Below is our guide to:
KSS Adoption Paperwork: Possible Locations of Birth Parent Information.
Please note that this page does NOT discuss HOW to conduct an actual birth family search. It only discusses how to obtain adoption documents and what to look for in them.
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Examples of some types of KSS Adoption Paperwork which may contain birth parent information:
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English Adoptive Child Study Summary
(English ACSS)
The formerly secret
Korean Adoptive Child Study Summary
(Korean ACSS)
*This document may contain birth parent information that the English ACSS does NOT.
The formerly secret
국내소속서류작성의뢰서
“Request Form for Preparation of Domestic Affiliation Documents”
*This document may contain birth parent information that the English ACSS does NOT.
해외입양이민승락서 / "Overseas Adoption Immigration Consent Form"
주민등록표 등본 / "Resident Registration Certificate"
Birth parent letters left in KSS Adoptees’ files by birth parents, but were not always shared with Adoptees.
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Please note that KSS may have informally written birth parent information on handwritten notes or pages of notes, which may or may not be included in a KSS Adoptee’s file.
We cannot predict ALL of the various types of documents which KSS may or may not have included in an individual KSS Adoptee’s file folder. This is why it is important to carefully read and have translated any Korean adoption documents in your possession.
We should note that almost ALL KSS Adoptees from 1964-2012 should have an English Adoptive Child Study Summary and a Korean Adoptive Child Study Summary in their former KSS adoption files.
We believe that most KSS Adoptees — especially those from the 1970s — should have a 국내소속서류작성의뢰서
“Request Form for Preparation of Domestic Affiliation Documents” form in their former KSS adoption files.
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Above: Nam Kwang Orphanage in Busan on Google Maps. Nam Kwang is still a functioning child welfare facility. See the “Feeder Orphanages” link below for address and contact information.
KSS “Feeder Orphanages” may also have information about your background, prior to your transfer to KSS for overseas adoption processing.
In particular, Nam Kwang Orphanage in Busan and Star of the Sea Orphanage in Incheon are still open today. You can email them to request information and / or visit in person with a translator.
Please see this page for an example of a Nam Kwang Orphanage in Busan document which was recently obtained by a KSS Adoptee through email which contained birth parent information:
Adoptees seeking birth family should organize records; key search clues are often overlooked.
Please see this link for contact information for KSS “Feeder Orphanages”:
Sources of KSS Orphans + Orphanage List.
Most of these places can email you in English, but may not be able to speak well in English in person. If you contact them, you do not need to fill out any special form, but be sure to include as much identifying information about your orphan identity from KSS as possible — such as Korean name (example: Jin Hee LEE, where the surname LEE is capitalized), birthdate, K-Number (if known), etc. Typically Nam Kwang Orphanage in Busan in particular will respond to you very quickly.
Please note that if you have trouble interpreting the information you receive from Nam Kwang, you should contact us for assistance (ONLY if you are a KSS / Korea Social Service Adoptee).
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Get your documents translated. AI can be used to give you the gist, but should NOT be relied upon for important information which could be used for a search.
Using badly translated information can lead you down a FALSE rabbithole and waste your time, money, and resources.
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Due to the fact that most Korean Adoptees do NOT speak Korean, Adoptees often overlook critical information which may be contained in their adoption paperwork which contains KOREAN language.
It is for this reason that we cannot more strongly recommend that you get any documents containing Korean text translated.
Using an AI platform such as Google Gemini or ChatGPT can give you the GIST of a document’s overall meaning, but you should NEVER rely on any AI translation for important birth family search information, such as birth parent names, birthdates, addresses, names of maternity clinics / hospitals etc. You should also be careful to redact (black out) any sensitive information you do not wish to upload to an AI platform.
For that kind of information you really must seek a proper translation by a REAL Korean translator.
If possible, try to get a line by line WRITTEN translation - not just a verbal translation, which you will forget.
Please see:
Try uploading screenshots of non-sensitive adoption documents in Korean and / or Hanja to Google Gemini for translation.
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Above: NCRC’s logo at NCRC’s Temporary Storage Facility in Goyang, Gyeonggi-do. Currently, ALL former KSS files are stored here. For information about the NCRC process, please see the FAQ link below.