Locations and TIPS related to the former Korean Adoption Agency files.
Image credit: Paperslip.org
Preface:
Reading and understanding the information below may save you years of time and thousands of wasted dollars.
ALL former Korean Adoption Agency files moved from the Korean Adoption Agencies to NCRC (National Center for the Rights of the Child) on July 19th, 2025.
For now, ALL former Korean Adoption Agency files are housed at NCRC’s Temporary Storage Facility in Goyang, Gyeonggi-do.
Please note that NCRC has a SECOND location: NCRC’s Main Office in Seoul.
However, sometime in 2026, ALL former Korean Adoption Agency files files are likely to move AGAIN — this time from NCRC’s Temporary Storage Facility in Goyang, Gyeonggi-do to the Seongam Branch of the National Archives.
Please read below to understand IMPORTANT information about what you CAN and CANNOT do at NCRC’s TWO SEPARATE current locations!
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NCRC’s Temporary Storage Facility in Goyang, Gyeonggi-do
You can currently VIEW your former Korean Adoption Agency file here.
However, you CANNOT get a COPY of your file here.
We recommend that you FIRST book an appointment to VIEW your former Korean Adoption Agency file at NCRC’s Temporary Storage Facility in Goyang, Gyeonggi-do.
Please note that you CANNOT take photos of your file. You can only take HANDWRITTEN NOTES. For this reason, we strongly recommend that you take a translator with you to your appointment at NCRC.
Also, be sure to do the following:
Book a SECOND appointment at NCRC’s Main Office in Seoul to pick up a COPY of your file. If you do NOT pick up a copy of your file while you are in Seoul, you will have to wait 5-6 MONTHS to receive your copy through the KAS website.
You MUST make an appointment in advance in order to visit either of NCRC’s locations.
BEFORE you make an appointment at either location, you MUST first submit a Petition for Adoption Information Disclsoure request to NCRC via the KAS website. (Please see links below this section for guidance).
PLEASE NOTE:
An NCRC worker might tell you at NCRC’s Temporary Storage Facility in Goyang, Gyeonggi-do that they will “Email you your file.” This is NOT true — NCRC will NOT email you your file! Instead, you will have to wait for 5-6 months for NCRC to upload your file to the KAS website.
So be sure to immediately book a SECOND appointment at NCRC’s Main Office in Seoul in order to pick up a COPY of your file while you are still in Korea, IF you have time to do so! Otherwise, you will have to wait MONTHS to get an actual scan of your file from NCRC!
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NCRC’s Main Office in Seoul
NO ORIGINAL former Korean Adoption Agency files are stored here.
However, you CAN get COPY of your file here.
You MUST make an appointment in advance in order to visit this location. BEFORE you make an appointment, you MUST first submit a Petition for Adoption Information Disclsoure request to NCRC via the KAS website. (Please see links below this section for guidance).
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The Seongam Branch of the National Archives.
ALL former Korean Adoption Agency files are likely to be moved here SOMETIME in 2026.
We do not currently know the exact timeline of this SECOND major move.
The first move of all former Korean Adoption Agency files was on July 19th, 2025 - from the former Korean Adoption Agencies to NCRC’s Temporary Storage Faciilty in Goyang, Gyeonggi-do.
We do NOT know what the future birth family search procedure will look like once all former Korean Adoption Agency files are moved here, sometime in 2026. While NCRC is under the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW), the National Archives are under a DIFFERENT Ministry — the Ministry of Interior and Safety (MOIS).
We’re just happy it’s NOT called the Ministry of Interior and Safety and Transportation (MOIST).