News1 Article: “Truth Commission (TRC 3) to Investigate Overseas Adoption and Institutional Abuse Cases…Task Force for Investigation Bureau 3 to Launch Soon.”
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News1 Article: “Truth Commission (TRC 3) to Investigate Overseas Adoption and Institutional Abuse Cases… Task Force for Investigation Bureau 3 to Launch Soon.”
By: Yoo Chae-yeon
Published: March 11, 2026, 4:25 PM (Updated 4:26 PM)
“The 3rd Truth and Reconciliation Commission of South Korea announced that it will form a “Investigation Bureau 3 Preparation Task Force (TF)” dedicated to investigating human rights violations related to overseas adoptions and institutional group facilities, and will begin preparations to uncover the truth.
On the morning of March 11, the commission held a press briefing at the Namsan Square Building in Jung-gu, Seoul, formally announcing the launch of its third-term activities.
The commission plans to establish a new Investigation Bureau 3, which will focus on human rights violations in institutional facilities and overseas adoption cases.
However, creating this bureau requires an amendment to the enforcement decree. Until that change is made, the commission plans to temporarily operate a preparatory task force that will handle related cases until the official bureau is established.
Commission Chair Song explained:
“As early as this week, we plan to launch the Investigation Bureau 3 preparation TF. It will exclusively handle cases involving institutional facilities and overseas adoption-related human rights violations that the future bureau will oversee. The TF will review cases, meet victims, and carry out all necessary preparatory work.”
The task force is expected to be led by the Head of Investigation Division 7 and staffed by volunteers from existing investigation divisions, including Divisions 2, 3, 6, and 8.
Its responsibilities will include:
Overall oversight of vagrancy guidance facilities and similar institutions
Human rights violations in child and women’s protection facilities
Human rights violations involving overseas adoption agencies
Investigating “revolving-door detention”
The commission also said it is considering various investigative approaches for group detention facility cases, including situations where individuals were forcibly confined in multiple facilities in succession, sometimes called “revolving-door detention.”
Chair Song explained that during the second Truth and Reconciliation Commission, investigations were conducted facility by facility. Investigators came to realize that the issue was not just isolated cases but a systemic phenomenon.
“Investigating each facility separately made it difficult to fully capture the scope of the problem,” Song said. “If we conduct investigations by authority, we need to go beyond individual facilities and extract structural characteristics by themes such as children or women.”
He added that investigations should also consider the perspective of the victims’ life experiences.
Cooperation needed for overseas adoption cases
Regarding overseas adoption cases, the commission emphasized the importance of cooperation with related institutions.
Song said many adoption-related human rights violation cases have been submitted since the third commission began, including applications filed from the countries where adoptees currently live.
“This may be the first time applications are received through overseas diplomatic missions,” he said.
He added that establishing cooperation systems with countries that received adoptees and South Korean diplomatic missions abroad will be an important early task for the commission. He also suggested that at least one full division within Investigation Bureau 3 may need to focus specifically on overseas adoption.
The commission plans to soon begin discussions on cooperation with the Overseas Koreans Agency.
“Last chance to fully address past injustices”
Song emphasized that the commission sees this effort as the last opportunity to properly resolve historical injustices.
“The most important and urgent task is uncovering the truth that victims have been desperately waiting for,” he said.
He added that the commission will work to reveal the structural reality of past state violence and identify as many victims as possible.
1,309 cases filed in first 12 days
Since its launch on February 26, the commission has received 1,309 applications for truth investigations in just 12 days.
As of March 10, the breakdown of cases includes:
864 cases – social welfare facilities, overseas adoption, and group detention human rights violations
231 cases – mass civilian killings
168 cases – human rights violations or suspected fabrication of cases
20 cases – cases involving hostile forces
4 cases – cases with finalized court rulings
2 cases – anti-Japanese independence movement cases
By region, applications submitted to local governments include:
Busan: 204
Gyeonggi Province: 167
North Gyeongsang Province: 24
Daegu: 22
South Jeolla Province: 20
Additionally, 785 cases were filed directly with the commission.”