The Hankyoreh: “Victims of Institutionalization and Overseas Adoption Meet with Truth and Reconciliation Commission: ‘It’s Extremely Difficult to Find the Records.’”
The Hankyoreh Article:
“Victims of Institutionalization and Overseas Adoption Meet with Truth and Reconciliation Commission: ‘It’s Extremely Difficult to Find the Records.’”
Original Korean article published on September 30th, 2026.
ChatGPT English translation posted to Paperslip on September 30th, 2026.
Please see original Korean article for photos.
Some BOLDS and all blue highlighting ours.
Society / General
Victims of Institutionalization and Overseas Adoption Meet with Truth and Reconciliation Commission: “It’s Extremely Difficult to Find the Records”
By Jang Jong-woo
Updated September 30, 2026, 7:15 p.m.
“Representatives of organizations representing victims of mass institutionalization and overseas adoption visited the Truth and Reconciliation Commission for the Investigation of Past Affairs and met with commission officials. Cases involving mass institutionalization and overseas adoption are considered among the key priorities of the commission’s third term.
Fourteen people, including representatives of the Coalition for the Rights of Orphans and victim organizations connected to institutions such as Brothers Welfare Center (Brothers Home), Sillimwon, Seoul Municipal Children’s Protection Center, Supulwon (Isabel Children’s Home), and Jecheon Infant and Children’s Home, as well as representatives of various overseas-adoptee victim organizations, visited the commission in Jung-gu, Seoul, on the afternoon of September 30. They met with Standing Commissioner Jang Young-soo, who heads the commission’s Third Subcommittee responsible for mass-institutionalization and overseas-adoption cases, along with investigators from Investigation Bureau 3.
The victims emphasized both the difficulty of establishing the truth and the importance of the commission. Oh Kang-seok, a victim of Seongam Academy and Saesomang Boys’ Home, said, “It is extremely difficult to find documents such as records showing when people were admitted to these facilities. Some colleagues who were devastated by the injustice even took their own lives after the evidence disappeared.” He appealed to the commission to actively search for records.
Han Il-young, a victim connected to the Seoul Municipal Children’s Protection Center and other facilities, said, “The only thing the state can do for victims is provide compensation, but the trials are merely formalities, and courts effectively rely on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s investigative findings when issuing judgments. I hope you will reflect the victims’ perspectives as much as possible.”
Standing Commissioner Jang Young-soo responded, “The older the case, the harder it is to find conclusive evidence. That is why we are moving toward accepting not only direct evidence but also hearsay and other forms of indirect evidence.” He added, “At the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, we are trying to apply greater flexibility in admitting evidence than the courts do.”
There were also complaints about administrative problems encountered by overseas adoptees during the process of establishing the truth. Bae Jin-si, head of the Overseas Adoption Solidarity Network, said, “Last year, an overseas adoptee found their biological parents, but the National Center for the Rights of the Child only told them that the parents were ‘at a hospital in Incheon.’ In the end, the adoptee visited all 82 hospitals in Incheon and eventually reunited with their biological parents.”
Bae argued that “the government should actively assist overseas adoptees in immediately reuniting with their biological families.”
Another problem raised was that, under current law, access to information is limited to overseas adoptees and their biological parents. This means that overseas adoptees cannot seek information about relatives other than their biological parents, and that after an overseas adoptee dies, their children may also be unable to access relevant information.
Investigation Bureau 3 has decided to begin investigations into 329 cases whose investigations were suspended during the commission’s first and second terms. During its third term, it has newly received 2,375 related cases.
Standing Commissioner Jang Young-soo said, “The biggest task is to make sure that investigations do not have to be suspended because the truth has not been established by the time the commission ends.” He added, “Even the slightest clue can sometimes become decisive evidence in uncovering events from decades ago. If you have an idea that you did not think of when you first filed your application for an investigation, please let us know.”
Applications for truth-finding investigations with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission can be submitted until February 25, 2028. Applications may be filed by victims or their bereaved family members, as well as people who have heard about the incident from others. Applications can be submitted in person or by mail to the commission, municipal/county/district government civil-service offices, or, for people living overseas, diplomatic missions abroad. Cases involving human-rights violations in the overseas-adoption process can also be submitted by email at jinsil26@korea.kr.
For more information, applicants can contact the Truth and Reconciliation Commission at 02-3393-9700 (or +82-2-3393-9700 from overseas) or consult its website.”
Jang Jong-woo, reporter
whddn3871@hani.co.kr