KSS rebrands as “Happy Bell”, has a new website, and supposedly offers Post-Adoption Support services.
“Post-adoption support services are also among the Korea Social Service Society’s signature programs. Lee explained, “We provide counseling, homeland visits, and family reunions to help internationally adopted individuals who have reached adulthood discover their roots and reconnect with their birth families.” She described this as “an extremely valuable form of welfare whose impact cannot be measured in numbers.”’
See the original Korean post on KSS’ new website here.
Fortunately, KSS appears to have preserved SOME (though not all) of the photos that were on the old website. Click the small numbers at the bottom to see older photos.
*Please note that ALL birth family search and former KSS document requests must go through NCRC.
KSS no longer possesses Adoptees’ files. All former KSS Adoptees’ files were transferred to NCRC on July 19th, 2025.
Below: ChatGPT translation.
Please see original Korean article for photos.
BOLDS and blue highlighting mine.
Media Coverage | Lee Myeong-rim, Chairperson of the Korea Social Service Society, Launches Welfare Brand ‘Happy Bell’
Happy Bell News | October 22, 2026
“Supporting Adult Reunions for International Adoptees… A Service Whose Value Cannot Be Measured in Numbers”
A platform that identifies early warning signs of crisis
Provides post-adoption support services, including visits to adoptees’ homeland
Promotes youth development through experiential programs at Cheongnyeo Training Center
‘“Welfare should not wait for people in need to come seeking help; instead, we should be the ones to reach out to them first.”
“For 62 years since its establishment in 1964, the Korea Social Service Society, a nonprofit social welfare organization, has continued its work in child welfare, scholarship programs, and youth development. This year, the organization launched a new welfare support brand, Happy Bell, expanding its core activities to focus on identifying and assisting people who fall through the cracks in the social welfare system.
Lee Myeong-rim, Chairperson of the Korea Social Service Society, said, “The number of people facing crises that are difficult to identify through existing welfare systems alone is growing due to social isolation, poverty, and the increase in single-person households. Happy Bell will become a new welfare platform that identifies early warning signs of crisis and connects people with hope.”
With the launch of Happy Bell, the Korea Social Service Society is bringing together its existing community welfare programs under a single brand. Its first initiative was participation in the Hwaseong-style Just Give program in Dongtan 5-dong, Hwaseong City. To support households at risk of food insecurity, the organization provided approximately KRW 5 million worth of shelf-stable food items, including instant rice, curry, ready-to-eat soups, and dried seaweed. Fresh agricultural produce donated at its Sharing Experience Center is also being distributed to neighbors in need through a community-sharing refrigerator.
Chairperson Lee said, “We have confirmed the potential for public-private partnerships to fill gaps in the welfare system much more comprehensively.”
Since its establishment, the Korea Social Service Society has expanded its activities from child welfare into scholarship programs, post-adoption services, youth development, and community welfare. Its scholarship program, in particular, began in 1965, one year after the organization was founded. To date, it has provided a total of approximately KRW 2.337 billion in scholarships to 10,173 students.
“We do more than simply cover tuition. We also provide living and transportation expenses to help students continue their education,” Lee explained. “The goal of our scholarship program is to ensure that no child has to give up on their dreams for financial reasons.”
Post-adoption support services are also among the Korea Social Service Society’s signature programs. Lee explained, “We provide counseling, homeland visits, and family reunions to help internationally adopted individuals who have reached adulthood discover their roots and reconnect with their birth families.” She described this as “an extremely valuable form of welfare whose impact cannot be measured in numbers.”
The Korea Social Service Society began its community welfare initiatives in 2008. In 2018, it began actively implementing a side-dish sharing program for elderly people living alone, in partnership with the Dongtan 5-dong Administrative Welfare Center in Hwaseong City and the local Community Social Security Council. To date, the program has supported a cumulative total of 11,317 households. The organization also operates a Sharing Experience Center where local residents can participate directly in charitable activities.
The organization also plans to continue expanding its youth development programs. At Saessak Garden Cheongnyeo Training Center, which opened in 1993, it offers a variety of experiential programs for young people, university students, families, and social organizations.
Speaking about the organization's vision for the future, Chairperson Lee said, “Building on the trust we have earned over the past 62 years, we will now strengthen our role as a social safety net that proactively identifies people falling through the cracks in the welfare system and connects them with the support they need.”
She added, “We will do our utmost to make Happy Bell the bell of happiness that rings first for neighbors in need.”’