KSS-specific documents are now available from NCRC, such as the “Request Form for Preparation of Domestic Affiliation Documents,” along with other KSS documents.
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All content published on Paperslip.org is protected by official copyright law. Any unauthorized use, reproduction, or plagiarism of our original research and content — whether published or unpublished — will be pursued to the fullest extent permitted by law. By using our site, you agree to NOT plagiarize or reproduce “as your own” our copyrighted material. Any information shared from Paperslip.org must be done by linking directly to our site; plagiarizing, copying, modifying, or redistributing our original work “as your own” is strictly prohibited. Reproducing our original research and publishing it “as your own” is strictly prohibited.
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The information below is effectively an:
Illustrated Catalog of Known KSS Documents.
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Please see related:
KSS Numbering Systems.
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If YOU have a document which we do NOT have on the list below which you would allow us to share a redacted version of, please contact us at paperslipadoptee@gmail.com
Thank you!
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Please Note:
The documents below are primarily those from my own KSS file, which I photographed at KSS in Seoul in 2018, prior to the transfer of all former Korean Adoption Agency files — including those of KSS — to NCRC on July 19th, 2025.
I had a specific type of common relinquishment scenario, which is reflected in the documents below.
YOU may have had a different relinquishment scenario, which would be reflected in the types of documents YOU may or may NOT have in your own KSS file.
KSS documents and their styles also CHANGED OVER TIME.
I was born in 1975 and arrived to the US in 1976. Therefore, my documents reflect this time period.
Depending on the WAY and TIME in which YOU were relinquished — whether to KSS in Seoul (the KSS Receiving Home) directly, or through a separate “feeder orphanage” in or outside of Seoul, or from a hospital or maternity clinic anywhere in Korea — your documents may definitely be different than the documents I have below!
Please note that I have NOT included documents from “feeder orphanages” such as Nam Kwang Orphanage in Busan — or other feeder orphanages — below.
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Please Note:
The following address information is related to KSS’ old campus in Seoul:
Korea Social Service, Inc. 한국사회봉사회
Address in Korean:
서울특별시 도봉구 삼양로162가길 42-49
533-3, Sangmoon-Dong, Seoul, Korea
If you see this information in your documents, please understand this is information related to KSS.
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It is important to understand that in my own case, I was supposedly relinquished to a separate “feeder orphanage” outside of Seoul, prior to being later transferred to KSS in Seoul. This is why I have certain TYPES of documents in my KSS file. It’s also why I DO NOT have certain types of documents in my KSS file. There were different documents for different circumstances of relinquishment (or acquisition) of children for overseas adoption.
For example, because I was (presumably) not relinquished directly to KSS in Seoul by a birth parent, I do NOT have a “해외입양이민승락서” / “Consent for Overseas Adoption and Immigration” form, which was typically a form signed by a birth parent (or other birth relative) which gave consent for the child to be adopted overseas.
By contrast, those children who WERE relinquished directly to KSS in Seoul by a birth parent or other birth relative SHOULD HAVE a “해외입양이민승락서” / “Consent for Overseas Adoption and Immigration” form amongst their KSS documents. It’s a RED FLAG signaling impropriety in your adoption if this document is present amongst your documents, but is NOT signed by a birth parent. This is because, of course a birth parent SHOULD have signed a document like this.
KSS was a Korean Adoption Agency and Orphanage in ONE. Korean orphanages, at least around the mid 1970s and later, could NOT (legally) typically just send children for Overseas Adoption. This was something which only Korean Adoption Agencies could (legally) do. Of course, private adoptions may have happened from orphanages, but this was not the standard practice (at least not from around the mid 1970s forward).
In a private adoption, a prospective adoptive parent or couple (who were often associated with the US military) visited a Korean orphanage or Korean Adoption Agency in person in Korea, selected a child, and used a lawyer or other intermediary to draw up documents to send the child to the US (or other Western country of adoption).
KSS (the Korean Adoption Agency in Seoul) only housed around 200 children on site at its on-site orphanage at any given time. But KSS was one of the 4 major Korean Adoption Agencies designated by the Korean Government in 1976 to process overseas adoption. So KSS was a Korean Adoption Agency and Orphanage in ONE.
But KSS also relied on a large network of off-site “feeder orphanages” to supply children for overseas adoption.
And while there are NOT typically separate types of KSS documents (that we know of) to reflect this, likely THOUSANDS of KSS children were directly sourced from hospitals and maternity clinics in and outside of Seoul, with which KSS likely had direct agreements.
My own documents reflect my specific TYPE of relinquishment scenario — that of being supposedly relinquished to an off-site “feeder orphanage” outside of Seoul, and later being transferred to KSS in Seoul to be processed for overseas adoption.
Depending on YOUR relinquishment scenario, your documents may be different. And you may have different documents due to the caprice of documents being lost over time by KSS, or other circumstances which we simply CANNOT KNOW in any individual’s case.
MANY KSS children were housed off-site at “feeder orphanages” for the duration of their time in Korea, especially before around 1987 which is when KSS says it first began a foster mother program.
YOUR KSS DOCUMENTS WILL DEFINITELY VARY according to your circumstances.
So just recognize that — depending on the WAY in which you were relinquished — whether to KSS in Seoul directly, or through a separate “feeder orphanage” in or outside of Seoul, your documents may definitely be different than the documents I have below.
Please note, however, that I will ALSO try to include KSS documents which did not apply to my specific case.
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The main point is:
Just recognize that your documents will likely VARY relative to the list below.
Please do NOT automatically freak out if you do not have certain documents from KSS. It has taken me YEARS to understand what I should and should not have in my KSS file. Similarly, it will likely take you a long time to fully (to the best of your ability) understand what YOU should and should not have in your KSS file.
Please note that KSS is now CLOSED. Currently all former Korean Adoption Agency files, including those of KSS, are at NCRC’s Temporary Storage Facility in Goyang, Gyeonggi-do. However, all of these files are likely to move AGAIN to the Seongam Branch of the National Archives at some point in 2026. For the current NCRC “Petition for Adoption Information Disclosure” process, please see:
ALL Korean Adoptees Start Here!
General Birth Family Search Steps Through NCRC — Overview.
Please view the links under the DROPDOWN Menu on our homepage titled:
DROPDOWN: AFTER July 19th, 2025, ALL Birth Family Search Requests Must Be Processed Through NCRC/KAS
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As of April 2026:
This is a KSS (Korea Social Service) specific document which can now be obtained from NCRC:
국내소속서류작성의뢰서
“Request Form for Preparation of Domestic Affiliation Documents”.
*Please note that if you are NOT a KSS (Korea Social Service) Adoptee, you will NOT have this document in your adoption file.
Please note below is a graphic representation (NOT a photograph) of the KSS file folder of a FAKE KSS Adoptee we made up for the purposes of this example:
FAKE KSS / Welcome House Adoptee “KIM Yu Jun”, with KSS K-Number K-1758.
The image above may NOT be reproduced or shared without permission. This image and the documents belong to the author. You are welcome to share a link to this page on Paperslip.org directly. Thank you.
Please Note: At RIGHT is a graphic representation of what a KSS Adoptee’s “English Adoptive Child Study Summary” might look like in the context of their KSS file, which for now is housed at NCRC’s Temporary Storage Facility in Goyang, Gyeonggi-do. The style of this document varied over time. The link above shows the varying styles of the English ACSS. This document is typically 3 pages long, but the number of pages may vary somewhat.
Standalone document:
국내소속서류작성의뢰서
“Request Form for Preparation of Domestic Affiliation Documents”
The image above may NOT be reproduced or shared without permission. Thank you to the KSS Adoptee who shared this image with us. We have posted a redacted version with permission.
We have added translations which were done years ago by a live Korean translator. Since that time we have made some translation revisions (specifically to the title of the document) via ChatGPT.
You are welcome to share a link to this page on Paperslip.org directly. Thank you.
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Below this section you can find an ILLUSTRATED LIST of all the KSS adoption documents which I know of.
I have heavily redacted the body of these documents, since I don’t read Korean, and it’s too much of a pain in my butt to figure out how to properly redact these pages to conceal my personal information.
However, what is most important to identify, and what I have highlighted in YELLOW, is the TITLE at the TOP of each document. If you, like me, do not speak Korean, you can at least use these examples to pattern match against the KSS documents you see or receive from NCRC.
Also, please note, pay attention mainly to the KOREAN text titles! The English translations of these Korean titles will vary greatly according to what translator you use. I have always said, if you ask ten different live Korean translators to translate something, you will get ten different translations. The same goes for automatic translators. I personally love ChatGPT for Korean text translation.
If you are still using Papago, I got 99 problems, but Papago ain’t one — if you’re still using Papago (or Google Translate) I feel bad for you, son!
I highly recommend that when you visit your KSS file — whether at NCRC’s Temporary Storage Facility in Goyang, Gyeonggi-do, or later at the Seongam Branch of the National Archives after all former Korean Adoption Agency files are transferred there sometime in 2026 — you bring printed copies of the documents shown below, as well as any documents already in your possession. This will help you verify which documents are present in your KSS file and which are not. Please note that the number and types of documents in each KSS adoptee’s file can vary significantly from one individual to another.
Of course, for those who cannot visit Korea, you can use this illustrated list of KSS documents to compare with the photocopies of your KSS documents which you hopefully receive as a result of a Petition for Adoption Information Disclosure request to NCRC. Of course, as with all things related to birth family search, you will get faster service if you physically go to Korea. But of course, we can’t all afford that. Just know that a purely online Petition for Adoption Information Disclosure request may take 5-6 months to fulfill. So it is better to put in a request sooner than later.
Please note that I have NOT included any US-side adoption documents below. There are too many of them and that’s not something I intend to do on this site.
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In 2018, I photographed the 국내소속서류작성의뢰서 / “Request Form for Preparation of Domestic Affiliation Documents” form, which was taped in the inside front cover of my own file at KSS, prior to the transfer of ALL former Korean Adoption Agency documents to NCRC on July 19th, 2025.
I have not previously shared this document, as other KSS Adoptees have not been permitted to view it, and disclosing its existence would likely cause additional distress among those who were unable to access it.
However, now that KSS Adoptees can obtain this document from NCRC, there is no reason to hide this anymore.
I also experienced a deeply unsettling plagiarism attempt against my original KSS K-Number research on January 1st, 2023, which has made me less inclined to share my original research publicly. I will forever regret sharing in confidence my KSS K-Number research with someone who later tried to retain the false credit that another person had falsely attributed to him.
The many would-be plagiarists have not discussed the 국내소속서류작성의뢰서 (“Request Form for Preparation of Domestic Affiliation Documents”), or the other documents listed below, because — until reading this post — they were not aware of them.
Most KSS Adoptees have unfortunately NOT been permitted to photograph or photocopy their documents at KSS, prior to the transfer of all former Korean Adoption Agency files to NCRC on July 19th, 2025.
I was able to do so only by fighting to gain access to my file at KSS — when it still operated Post Adoption Services in Seoul — in 2018, and by subsequently accidentally discovering my likely deceased twin’s file in 2019. These efforts have ultimately benefited KSS Adoptees worldwide.
The information on this page is now officially COPYRIGHTED.
Since NCRC does NOT permit Adoptees to photograph their documents during in-person visits to its current Temporary Storage Facility in Goyang, Gyeonggi-do, the images below of some of the KSS documents may represent some of the only existing examples.
Adoptees CAN, however, obtain a photocopy of their documents from NCRC’s Main Office in Seoul, by submitting a Petition for Adoption Information Disclosure through the KAS website.
Unfortunately, such requests will take around 5-6 months to fulfill by NCRC. And these requests are almost certain to be impacted by the coming SECOND move 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, sometime in 2026.
Hopefully Adoptees will still be able to view and obtain a copy of their KSS file once all former Korean Adoption Agency files move to the Seongam Branch of the National Archives, sometime in 2026. Unfortunately we don’t know exactly when this SECOND move will happen. Stay tuned for updates.
The 국내소속서류작성의뢰서 / “Request Form for Preparation of Domestic Affiliation Documents” form is NOT the same as the English Adoptive Child Study Summary or Korean Adoptive Child Study Summary documents.
Almost NO KSS Adoptees have EVER seen the 국내소속서류작성의뢰서 / “Request Form for Preparation of Domestic Affiliation Documents” form before.
I only know of ONE other KSS Adoptee who was able to obtain a copy of this document, prior to the July 19th, 2025 transfer of all former Korean Adoption Agency files to NCRC.
I also photographed all other documents in my KSS file in 2018.
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The information shared below is a result of my obtaining unique access to my KSS file in 2018. The information and research about the previously unknown KSS “Child Number” is now subject to COPYRIGHT.
As I have consistently done since 2020, I am sharing this information here to benefit KSS Adoptees. I could easily wait years to publish a book and charge for my work, but by then it would be of little use to those who need it now.
Please do let us know if you discover incidents of attempted plagiarism. Plagiarism is an insidious disease which unfortunately sometimes runs in families…
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The 국내소속서류작성의뢰서 / “Request Form for Preparation of Domestic Affiliation Documents” form is a one page document which KSS used internally to track the progress of a child through its system — from intake to export date. It’s essentially a one page summary of a child’s entire processing through KSS’ system.
I know that the 국내소속서류작성의뢰서 / “Request Form for Preparation of Domestic Affiliation Documents” form is one which KSS has taped inside the front cover of the file folder of almost ALL KSS Adoptees, at least from the mid 1970s. I think that it is likely that this form (or a similar one) was used for ALL KSS Adoptees, between 1964-2012. However, I cannot say for sure, having only seen a preponderance of files from the mid 1970s at KSS prior to the transfer of all KSS files to NCRC on July 19th, 2025.
The “Child Number” at the upper left of this form was not one which KSS shared with its Western Partner Adoption Agencies, adoptive parents, or Adoptees. I know this from interviewing the Director of KSS on film in 2021, and from previous meetings at KSS from 2018-2024.
The KSS “Child Number” has NEVER before been publicly discussed. I am the first and only KSS Adoptee (or any non-KSS employee) who has ever brought this KSS internal number to public light.
I was the first non-KSS employee to note and understand this KSS number, which is just one of many different kinds of KSS numbering systems it used for children. Even younger KSS social workers with whom I have dealt have not really understood this number in depth, since it was out of use by the time they began to work for KSS.
The “Child Number” is NOT the same as the KSS K-Number.
The Child Number appears to have been assigned to a child upon intake to KSS. A KSS K-Number was only assigned once a child was matched by KSS to one of its Partner Western Adoption Agencies. It is the KSS K-Number (or “case” number) which appears on the English Adoptive Child Study Summaries of KSS Adoptees. The “Child Number” was an internal KSS number which they kept confidential.
The KSS Director told me in person in 2021 during my visit to KSS with multiple witnesses, including an Associated Press reporter:
1-2 months after KSS assigned a child with an INTAKE NUMBER (the CHILD NUMBER), KSS assigned a child with a K-Number, and made the English Adoptive Child Study Summary for a child.
This is borne out by my own observation of MANY English Adoptive Child Study Summary documents of KSS Adoptees over the years that a child’s intake was followed by the creation of the English Adoptive Child Study Summary about one month later.
Once KSS sent the child from Korea to the West for adoption, a final “File Number” (what I colloquially call an “Exit Folder” number) was added to the outside tab of the KSS child’s file folder at KSS, on the backside of the tab. The front of the tab contained the initials of the child’s Partner Western Adoption Agency (such as WH for Welcome House; LSS for Lutheran Social Services; W for Wereldkinderen or NFIA for Netherlands Foundation for Intercountry Adoption; AC for Adoption Center; LTC for Love The Children; FAC for Family Adoption Consultants), as well as the child’s English spelled Korean orphan name (such as Jin Hee LEE — where the capitalized LEE is the last name), and the KSS K-Number, which was encoded in the first digit for the Partner Western Adoption Agency, per my original research into KSS K-Numbers.
The “File Number” denoted the 2 digit YY of a child’s export followed by a typically 4 digit number — for example, 77-1234 — where 77 = 1977, the year the child departed Korea (which was not always the year the child was born) and the sequential number 1234.
The absolute meaning of the “Child Number” was never explained to me in full, but I believe it’s logically related to the sequential intake of a child by KSS. In my own case, the “Child Number” is a 4 digit number. KSS’ Director more or less confirmed this though has never given a hard definition of this number’s meaning. Logically, the “Child Number” is at the upper left, at the start of a child’s “journey” through KSS’ system, and the “Departure” date from Korea is at the lower right. You can draw your own logical conclusions about the “Child Number’s” likely meaning based on its placement.
KSS’ Director informed me in 2021 in person at KSS that NOT every KSS child had a Child Number — even during the time period, such as the 1970s, when the Child Number was definitely in use by KSS.
This has been borne out by my own observation of many 1970s KSS files at KSS in 2019. It was also apparently NOT a number used throughout its entire history from 1964-2012. It appears to have been phased out at some point after the 1970s, though the precise starting and ending point is unknown. Younger KSS social workers who only began working around 10 years prior to KSS’ closure in 2025 appear to not have much familiarity with the KSS “Child Number” from its earlier years.
The “Passport Number” at the bottom is the Travel Certificate number, the numbering style of which varied over time, according to our original and COPYRIGHTED research.
You can now obtain the 국내소속서류작성의뢰서 /
“Request Form for Preparation of Domestic Affiliation Documents” document from NCRC — at least, prior to the coming SECOND transfer of ALL former Korean Adoption Agency documents from NCRC to the Seongam Branch of the National Archives, which may happen at a currently unannounced time in 2026. You should hopefully be able to obtain it from the Seongam Branch of the National Archives once former KSS files move there from NCRC. We just don’t know the exact timeline of this SECOND move yet.
I am sharing this document now, so that KSS Adoptees will know what this is if when they obtain a copy of it from NCRC through a Petition for Adoption Information Disclosure request.
This KSS document is taped into the inside front cover of all KSS’ Adoptees’ file folders. Only one other KSS Adoptee that I know of has ever seen this document before.
I again viewed this document inside my KSS folder at NCRC’s Temporary Storage Facility in Gyeonggi-do, following the July 19th, 2025 file transfer from KSS to NCRC, in March 2026. This means that KSS preserved this document in advance of the file transfer to NCRC.
Please note that I have not previously publicly shared about this document. However, I have known about it since 2018, and have shared about it privately amongst KSS Adoptees since 2020.
NO ONE has publicly shared about this document previously. You will NOT find a reference to a KSS document titled “국내소속서류작성의뢰서” which pre-dates this first PUBLIC publication here on Paperslip.
To learn how to submit a Petition for Adoption Information Disclosure request to NCRC, please see:
ALL Korean Adoptees Start Here!
General Birth Family Search Steps Through NCRC — Overview.
Please note that the procedures for birth family search may change after all former Korean Adoption Agency files move from NCRC to the Seongam Branch of the National Archives, sometime in 2026.
Please note that the contents of your KSS file may vary.
However, presumably ALL KSS Adoptees have this document taped to the inside front cover of their KSS file folders, which are — for now — housed at NCRC’s Temporary Storage Facility in Goyang, Gyeonggi-do.
Please see:
My visit to NCRC’s Temporary Storage Facility in Goyang, Gyeonggi-do.
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Below are the KSS documents involved in the processing of children for international adoption of which we are currently aware, for KSS Adoptees sent to the US.
*Please note that I originally wrote this around 2020, but have only decided to publicly share this partial “KSS Adoption Procedure” list publicly now. It has been shared privately with KSS Adoptees since 2020.
*Please note that KSS adopted to the US, Netherlands, Denmark, and Switzerland between 1964-2012 through a specific list of Partner Western Adoption Agencies. However, as a US Adoptee, the list below is based primarily on my own documents, as well as those of a few other KSS Adoptees who were adopted to different countries.
This PUBLIC list is to help enable KSS Adoptees to identify documents which they receive from NCRC.
Please note that I have not significantly updated this list since around 2020 or 2021. I may revise it in the coming days.
Several of these documents — such as the “Korean Adoptive Child Study Summary”, the “English Adoptive Child Study Summary”, and the “Domestic Affiliation Document Preparation Request” form (see top of page) are documents which I discovered in my own KSS file in 2018 and photographed.
Paperslip has been the ONLY site to identify, photograph, and publicize these documents.
I have previously shared a more extensive “KSS Adoption Procedure” page privately with KSS Adoptees — however, given that KSS Adoptees can now obtain most of these documents from NCRC, I decided to share this list publicly so that KSS Adoptees can try to identify their own matching documents.
Please note that KSS Adoptees’ documents will vary.
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First published to Paperslip privately in 2020. Slightly revised and posted PUBLICLY on April 8th, 2026:
Below are the KSS documents involved in the processing of children for international adoption of which we are currently aware, for KSS Adoptees sent to the US. Please note that there was likely a great deal of overlap (similarity) between these documents for children sent to the US and Europe. However, KSS Adoptees are also known to have documents specific to each country to which KSS is known to have adopted: the US, Netherlands, Denmark, and Switzerland. Please note that there are likely more documents (to which we do not have access or about which we are not aware) which KSS used than are in the list below. It is highly unlikely that every KSS Adoptee will have ALL of the documents in their KSS file folder which are listed below.
Please note that depending on the automatic translator you use, you will get different English translations of the Korean text titles from the forms. We prefer to use ChatGPT for Korean text translation, as it is far superior to Google Translate and Papago (at least for now).
For this reason, we recommend that you look at the KOREAN text in order to pattern match the text to your own documents. Bear in mind you may have slightly different documents than this list. This list is just meant to be a baseline for comparison.
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국내소속서류작성의뢰서
The KSS “Domestic Affiliation Document Preparation Request” Form or “Internal Process Documents Request” Form.
This formerly secret document is taped to the inside front cover of each KSS Adoptee’s file. It sometimes contains a “Child Number” in the upper left which we presume to be an unencoded, purely sequential number given to a child when first Relinquished to KSS care, prior to the child being assigned an encoded K-Number once the child was “matched” by KSS to one of its Western Partner Adoption Agencies. However we do not know for sure what this number represents. This document appears to be a short one page bureaucratic summary of the child’s processing through KSS’ system, from intake to export from Korea.
The image above may NOT be reproduced or shared without permission. This image and the documents belong to the author. You are welcome to share a link to this page on Paperslip.org directly. Thank you.
Please Note: At RIGHT is a graphic representation of what a KSS Adoptee’s “English Adoptive Child Study Summary” might look like in the context of their KSS file, which for now is housed at NCRC’s Temporary Storage Facility in Goyang, Gyeonggi-do. The style of this document varied over time. The link above shows the varying styles of the English ACSS. This document is typically 3 pages long, but the number of pages may vary somewhat.
A standalone image of the:
국내소속서류작성의뢰서
The KSS “Domestic Affiliation Document Preparation Request” Form or “Internal Process Documents Request” Form.
The image above may NOT be reproduced or shared without permission. Thank you to the KSS Adoptee who shared this image with us. We have posted a redacted version with permission.
We have added translations which were done years ago by a live Korean translator. Since that time we have made some translation revisions (specifically to the title of the document) via ChatGPT.
You are welcome to share a link to this page on Paperslip.org directly. Thank you.
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기아의명 및본적을정한조서
“A written record establishing the name and registered domicile of a foundling (abandoned child)”
Or:
“Document for Determining Name and Permanent Address of an Abandoned Child”
Image credit: Paperslip.org.
This is a document from my own KSS file which I photographed in 2018. Remember that your own documents may vary, depending on the specific circumstances of your relinquishment, and the time period during which you were processed for overseas adoption.
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성및 본창설허가청구
“Application for Permission to Establish a Surname and Clan Registry”
Or:
“Petition for Permission to Create Family Name and Origin”
Image credit: Paperslip.org.
This is a document from my own KSS file which I photographed in 2018. Remember that your own documents may vary, depending on the specific circumstances of your relinquishment, and the time period during which you were processed for overseas adoption.
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기아발견신고
“Report of Foundling Discovery”
or
“Report of Abandoned Child Discovery”
Image credit: Paperslip.org.
This is a document from my own KSS file which I photographed in 2018. Remember that your own documents may vary, depending on the specific circumstances of your relinquishment, and the time period during which you were processed for overseas adoption.
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후견 개시신고서
“Report of Commencement of Guardianship”
Image credit: Paperslip.org.
This is a document from my own KSS file which I photographed in 2018. Remember that your own documents may vary, depending on the specific circumstances of your relinquishment, and the time period during which you were processed for overseas adoption.
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보호시설에 있는 미성년자인 고아의 후견인 지정신청서
“Application for the Appointment of a Guardian for a Minor Orphan in a Protective Facility”
Image credit: Paperslip.org.
This is a document from my own KSS file which I photographed in 2018. Remember that your own documents may vary, depending on the specific circumstances of your relinquishment, and the time period during which you were processed for overseas adoption.
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후견권 이양각서
“(KSS) Memorandum of Transfer of Guardianship Rights”
Image credit: Paperslip.org.
This is a document from the adoption documents which my adoptive parents had since the time of my adoption.
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보호시설에 있는 미성년자인 고아의 후견인 지정증명원
“Certificate of Guardianship / Certificate of Appointment of Guardian for a Minor Orphan in a Protective Facility”
Image credit: Paperslip.org.
This is a document from the adoption documents which my adoptive parents had since the time of my adoption.
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Hojuk (KOREAN)
Family / Birth Registration
This document may not have a title at the top, but it is the KOREAN version of the English translated “HOJUKDUNGBON” (Orphan Hojuk).
Image credit: Paperslip.org.
This image may not be used without permission.
Image credit: Paperslip.org.
This image may not be used without permission.
Above:
Hojuk (Korean)This document does not have a title, but it is the KOREAN version of the English translated “HOJUKDUNGBON” (Orphan Hojuk).
Please note that in my own documents, there is a reference in my KOREAN Hojuk (above) to a Busan based clan name that is NOT mentioned in my ENGLISH HOJUKDUNGBON. It’s hard to know what this really means in the context of my own case.
If you have this document, you should try to get it translated, as it may include information which is DIFFERENT from your ENGLISH “Hojukdungbon” (Orphan Hojuk) which is often falsified.
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I asked ChatGPT what type of document this was.
ChatGPT said:
“This is an old Korean family registry record (호적, hojeok) page.
More specifically, it appears to be a family register entry used before the modern resident registration system, likely from the mid-20th century.
These documents recorded:
* Household head and family members
* Birth dates
* Changes in name (including Chinese characters/hanja)
* Marriage, adoption, or legal status changes
* Address (like the Seoul Dobong-gu Ssangmun-dong address at the top)
A few clues from the image:
* The structured table format with fields like “부 / 모” (father/mother) and “전호주와의 관계” (relationship to former head of household)
* Official stamps and handwritten entries
* References to administrative authorities (e.g., district office and court approval)
* Use of both Hangul and Hanja for names and numbers
This type of document was the primary legal proof of identity and family relationships in Korea before 2008, when it was replaced by the modern Family Relations Registration system (가족관계등록부).
ChatGPT said:
If you want, I can help translate the handwritten portions or explain specific entries.”
I said:
Yes
ChatGPT said:
“Here’s a careful breakdown of the key handwritten and printed parts of your document:
Top (Address)
Already covered, but confirmed again:
→ Seoul, Dobong-gu, Ssangmun-dong, Lot 533-3
Header line (printed + handwritten date)
→ “On [year/month/day], by investigation of the Dobong-gu district office, a family register was newly
established.”
This means this page records the creation of a new family registry (일가 창립).
Main person (center section)
* 성별: 녀 → Female
* 본 (origin clan): (redacted) clan
* 이름 (Name): (written in hanja) (redacted)
Family relationship section
* Labels like:
* 부 (father)
* 모 (mother)
* 전호주와의 관계 (relationship to previous head of household)
These fields are mostly blank here, suggesting:
* This person is being registered independently or as a new household head, not under an existing family entry.
Birth date (right side)
Bottom line (legal change entry)
→ “On [date], with permission of the Seoul Family Court, the surname was established as (redacted) and the clan origin as (redacted).
This is important:
* It indicates a legal creation or change of surname and clan origin, likely through:
* Adoption
* Legitimation
* Or restoration/creation of family lineage
What this document is saying overall
This record documents:
* A female born (redacted)
* Named (redacted)
* Who became the founder of a new family registry
* With surname (redacted) and clan (redacted)
* Approved by the Seoul Family Court”
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Hojukdungbon
(HOJUKDUNGBON)
English version of the:
Family / Birth Registration (Orphan Hojuk) / Hojukdungbon
This may alternately be called:
“Certificate of Orphanhood”
This form is in English.
Image credit: Paperslip.org.
This is a document from the adoption documents which my adoptive parents had since the time of my adoption.
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We will later update these document titles with images:
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기아의명 및 본적을정한조서 / Document to name the surname for the abandoned child / Report Specifying the Name and Registered Domicile of an Abandoned Child
성 및 본창설허가청구 / Request To Start The Family Line / Petition for Permission to Establish Surname and Registered Origin / Request for permission to establish a family line
기아의명 및 본적을 정한조서 / Report Establishing the Name and Registered Domicile of an Abandoned Child
US Embassy Documents
Often these US Embassy Documents were Korean / English documents, many of which are mentioned amongst this list. The US Embassy Documents do not appear to include the English or Korean Adoptive Child Study Summary.
These forms were in English.
Medical Records / OPD (Outpatient Department) Charts
Children appeared to have undergone physical examinations at KSS prior to their departure from Korea. Some exams appear to have taken place at KSS’ on-site “Han Hwa Children’s Medical Clinic”. However, some children may have been treated at hospitals.
These forms were in a mixture of Korean and English.
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아동카드
Police Reports — sometimes known as:
“Baby Cards”
Baby cards are almost impossible to obtain.
Baby cards (Korean: 아동카드) were often the first administrative document in case of foundlings. The police wrote down the basics like name (if left on a note or the orphan knew by heart), date, time, location, site specifics like "sitting in front of green door of yellow bricked house" etc. and a picture. These baby cards were afterwards kept at the local city hall. A baby card is an all Korean document and very basic, but can include clues that later on were omitted by the church/orphanage/adoption agency. (These cards were made) only when the police were involved and that was mostly the case when a child was found on the streets. Whether orphanages complied with the rules when a child was left behind on the doorsteps is unclear.
It seems that some city halls are in possession of baby cards, and some orphanages / may still have them. It’s on a case by case basis.
Please Note: Not every child was found by police, and therefore, not every child will have a baby card.
Image credit: Paperslip.org.
This is NOT my personal document. I do NOT have a baby card which I can obtain in my own case.
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We will continue to update the document titles below with images:
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*入養兒童調書
“KOREAN Adoptive Child Study Summary”
Hanja (older mixture of Korean and Chinese):入養兒童調書
*Note: The Hanja / Korean TITLE of this form varies, and the style of the form itself changed over time. Please see the link above for ALL known styles of the KOREAN Adoptive Child Study Summary!
*Please see link above for examples of the varying styles of this multi-page document!
This document sometimes though not always contains birth parent name/s or sibling name/s and other information about where the child was born or found (such as the name of the maternity clinic or hospital).
Image credit: Paperslip.org.
This is a document from my own KSS file which I photographed in 2018. Remember that your own documents may vary, depending on the specific circumstances of your relinquishment, and the time period during which you were processed for overseas adoption.
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“ENGLISH Adoptive Child Study Summary”
*Note: The English TITLE of this form varies over time and between the Western countries with which KSS partnered (the US, Netherlands, Denmark, and Switzerland). The style of the form itself also changed over time. Please see the link above for ALL known styles of the ENGLISH Adoptive Child Study Summary!
*Please see link above for examples of the varying styles of this multi-page document!
This document is one of the primary documents of “Orphanization” used by KSS and its Partner Western Adoption Agencies. An endless number of KSS Adoptees sent to the US, Netherlands, Denmark and Switzerland were led to believe through their often false English Adoptive Child Study Summaries that they had been “abandoned” and found with a “paper-slip” or “memo” in their “clothings” (sic). However many KSS Adoptees have come to find that KSS kept a secret document, the “Korean Adoptive Child Study Summary”, and that this form had information about their birth parent/s and often sibling/s. The word “paper-slip” and “memo” were words used repeatedly by KSS to Orphanize children for adoption.
This document is in English.
Image credit: Paperslip.org.
This is a collage of the FIRST page of various styles of the “ENGLISH Adoptive Child Study Summary” over the years. Please note that in Denmark, the title was different. The purpose of the document, however, is exactly the same. It’s important to understand that depending on your year of adoption processing and your specific circumstances, this document MAY or MAY NOT be heavily falsified. We can never know in individuals’ circumstances what is true and what is false in these documents.
It’s important to understand that while this document was OFTEN falsified, it was NOT ALWAYS FALSE!
IF you have birth parent information (such as names and birthdates) in this document, you must treat this information as TRUE UNTIL YOU CAN PROVE IT FALSE. Otherwise, you have nothing to go on.
However, this document OFTEN says a child was “abandoned”, found with a “paper-slip” or “memo” or at a “police station”, when the SAME child’s formerly secret “KOREAN Adoptive Child Study Summary” sometimes had more information about a child’s background — sometimes, though not always including birth parent information.
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Korean Travel Certificate or “Passport”
(The text on the cover may alternately say “Travel Certificate” or “Passport”). This document is not usually in a KSS Adoptee’s file, as it was sent with the child when they traveled from Korea to the West for adoption.
This document is in a combination of Korean and English.
출생증명서 / Birth Certificate
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“해외입양이민승락서” / “Consent for Overseas Adoption and Immigration”
Please Note:
You would only have this document in your KSS file if a birth parent (or birth family member) directly relinquished you to KSS in Seoul. Please note, that this document SHOULD have been signed by a birth mother or birth father. However, IF this document is NOT signed by a direct birth relative, this is a sign of wrongdoing in your adoption case, as it implies that CONSENT of one or both birth parents was NOT obtained prior to your adoption.
Also, IF you were not directly relinquished by a birth parent (or, as often happened, by other birth relative) to KSS in person, then you would likely NOT have this kind of document in your original KSS file.
HOW you were relinquished often impacted what KIND of documents you have or do not have in your original KSS file.
*I personally do NOT have this type of document in my KSS file, since in my case, I was likely relinquished to a “feeder orphanage”, rather than directly to KSS by a birth family member. However, in my case, the truth is not precisely known.
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이주희망자건강진단서
“Physical Examination for Emigrant”
Please note that this form literally says in ENGLISH at the top:
“Physical Examination for Emigrant”
A medical document which includes a photo of the child who was examined at a hospital or medical facility in Korea prior to the child being sent to the West.
Image credit: Paperslip.org.
This is NOT my personal document. I do NOT have this document in my own case.
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Photographs
Child photos are found typically in the back of the KSS file folder in a small square envelope taped to the inside back cover of the folder. Sometimes KSS keeps birth parent letters in this envelope — if applicable. I’ve seen a lot of mid 1970s KSS files, and birth family letters were present in some cases, though rarely.
Photos of adoptive parents and adoptive family may be elsewhere found in the KSS file folder.
Please note that NCRC (or later, the Seongam Branch of the National Archives) will not release any information or photos relating to adoptive parents without your having them complete a specific form.
For the current (as of April 9th, 2026) NCRC procedure, please see:
ALL Korean Adoptees Start Here!
General Birth Family Search Steps Through NCRC — Overview.
Image credit: Paperslip.org.
This is a document from my own KSS file which I photographed in 2018. EVERY KSS Adoptee should have a photo envelope in the back of their KSS file. This envelope SOMETIMES contained letters from birth parents. I have seen this be the case with my own eyes at KSS, prior to the transfer of all KSS files to NCRC. However, this was rare, and more the exception rather than the rule, at least in the mid-1970s KSS files which I saw.