Paperslip Note:
The TRC 3 Commission and Investigators are already aware that I had nothing to do with, nor did I support, the request by certain Korean Adoptee “Rights” Groups for Commissioner Jang Young-soo to recuse himself.
Commissioner Jang Young-soo is the Commissioner of the Third Subcommittee of TRC 3, which oversees cases of Korean Adoptees.
Prior to a September 2026 meeting at TRC 3, certain Korean Adoptee “Rights” Groups and a Korean Adoptee Tour company SOLD TICKETS to meet with Commissioner Jang Young-soo — then asked him to recuse himself.
TRC 3 has recently rejected this request.
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Yonhap News:
(Third) Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC 3) Rejects Requests to Recuse Commissioners in Reinvestigation of Cases from Its Second Term (TRC 2).
Original Korean article posted on November 4th, 2026.
ChatGPT translation posted to Paperslip on November 6th, 2026.
Please see original Korean article for photos.
BOLDS and blue highlighting ours.
We may have added some information in parentheses ( ) for clarity.
“(Third) Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC 3) Rejects Requests to Recuse Commissioners in Reinvestigation of Cases from Its Second Term (TRC 2)
Published: November 4, 2026, 5:17 p.m.
Reporter: Yang Su-yeon (Yonhap News Agency)
Topics: Human rights violations involving overseas adoptees; the Baek Rak-jeong case”
“The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), now in its third term, has rejected requests from petitioners to exclude commissioners who participated in earlier decisions when the Commission reexamines certain cases that were suspended or dismissed during its second term.
According to Yonhap News reporting on November 4, the Commission decided at its eighth plenary meeting the previous day to reject recusal requests filed by three petitioners against Standing Commissioner Jang Young-soo and Non-Standing Commissioner Kim Woong-ki.
Both commissioners were nominated by the People Power Party.
Recusal request involving overseas adoption cases
Two petitioners, including (redacted name of Danish Korean Adoptee), who sought a determination of the truth regarding human rights violations involving overseas adoptees, filed a request to have Standing Commissioner Jang Young-soo recused.
In March 2025, during the Commission's second term, 42 of the 98 overseas adoption cases that had been forwarded to the plenary commission with a subcommittee recommendation to recognize the truth were placed on hold because of insufficient documentation.
The petitioners objected to Jang's involvement in that decision, as he had served as a non-standing commissioner at the time.
The 311 cases suspended during the Commission's second term, including those 42 cases, are currently under investigation by the third-term Commission. Jang now chairs Subcommittee 3, which is responsible for handling cases involving human rights violations against overseas adoptees.
The Baek Rak-jeong case
A separate recusal request concerned the case of the late Baek Rak-jeong, whose finding of truth had been approved during the Commission's second term but subsequently revoked.
Baek was reportedly killed by South Korean military and police forces at Golyeonggol in Daejeon in July 1950. The Commission issued a finding of truth in his case in 2023. However, the finding was revoked in 2024 after a court ruling was discovered sentencing him to death for alleged "pro-enemy activities."
The family, which resubmitted the case to the third-term Commission, requested the recusal of Standing Commissioner Jang Young-soo and Non-Standing Commissioner Kim Woong-ki, both of whom had voted in favor of revoking the previous finding of truth during the second term.
Commission rejects both requests
However, at its plenary meeting the previous day, the Commission reviewed the recusal requests in a closed session and decided to reject them.
The reported reasoning was that there was insufficient clear evidence to conclude that allowing the two commissioners to participate again in the investigation, deliberation, and decision-making processes would compromise the fairness of the proceedings.
In other words, the Commission considered it unclear whether commissioners could be excluded simply on the basis of an inference that they already held a particular opinion about the cases.
Nevertheless, according to reports, some participants argued that, given the difficulties the Commission had faced in providing remedies for victims of state violence in both the overseas adoption cases and the Baek Rak-jeong case, it should give sufficient consideration to the positions of petitioners and bereaved families and recognize their right to submit further recusal requests.
The commissioners named in the recusal requests reportedly did not participate in the deliberations or votes on those requests themselves. They only presented statements expressing their positions.
(Redacted name of Danish Korean Adoptee) expressed disappointment with the decision in comments to Yonhap News, stating:
"I believe this is not simply a matter of a recusal request, but a decision that could undermine the credibility of the Commission."
Photo captions:
Third-term Truth and Reconciliation Commission launches; joint press conference held with organizations representing victims of state violence. [Yonhap News file photo]
Commission Chair Song Sang-gyo strikes the gavel at the Commission's seventh meeting, held in Seoul on October 20, 2026. [Yonhap News photo by Choi Jae-gu]”
Contact: seele@yna.co.kr
Original publication: November 4, 2026, 5:17 p.m.
ChatGPT:
“A note on terminology
A few terms in this article are particularly significant:
진실규명 (finding of truth): A formal determination by the Commission that historical events, including human rights violations, occurred as alleged.
기피신청 (recusal request): A formal request that a commissioner be excluded from a case due to concerns about impartiality.
조사중지 (suspension of investigation): A case in which the investigation was halted, rather than a determination that the allegations were unfounded.
각하 (dismissal): A procedural dismissal, rather than necessarily a decision on the merits of the case.
이적행위 (pro-enemy activities): A Korean legal and political term historically used to describe alleged conduct benefiting an enemy or assisting the opposing side. Its appearance in this case is important because the article refers to a previously discovered death sentence, not an independently established historical fact.
Important distinction: The Commission has rejected the recusal requests, but this does not mean it has reached a new decision on the merits of either the overseas adoption cases or the Baek Rak-jeong case. The underlying investigations are still ongoing.”
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Paperslip Note:
Above: In a post from May 12th, 2026, various Korean Adoptee “Rights” Groups and a Korean Adoptee Tour company SOLD TICKETS to meet with TRC 3 Commissioner Jang Young-soo, without the knowledge of TRC 3. However, prior to meeting with Commissioner Jang Young-soo, they asked for his recusal (for him to step down). As the article above makes clear, this will not be happening, and Commissioner Jang Young Soo, who oversees Korean Adoption cases during TRC 3, will remain in his position.
I wonder if those who BOUGHT TICKETS to meet with TRC 3 Commissioner Jang Young-soo understood that they would effectively be asking the person with the ultimate authority over their TRC 3 cases to STEP DOWN.
Independently of me / Paperslip, there were multiple observers who noticed the SELLING OF TICKETS by certain Korean Adoptee “Rights” Groups to meet with TRC 3 Commissioner Jang Young-soo and strongly DISAPPROVED of it. Multiple observers wrote to the TRC to inform them that they strongly DISAPPROVED of this highly unethical practice.
I have been WARNING Adoptees for years about this kind of behavior by so-called Korean Adoptee “Rights” Groups.
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In September 2026, affiliated organizations of purported Korean “Rights” groups SOLD TICKETS — without TRC 3’s knowledge — to provide access to TRC 3’s Third Commissioner, Jang Young-soo. Then, before meeting with him at TRC’s offices in Seoul, they requested his recusal.
One has to wonder whether those who purchased tickets to meet Commissioner Jang Young-soo understood that they were meeting with someone who had authority over their cases while, in effect, asking him to step aside. What a bummer if they weren’t made aware of that beforehand. What a bummer for those who attended the meeting and directly asked the very person with ultimate authority over their cases to recuse himself — only to find that he would NOT be stepping down.
Perhaps it’s best to research the history of certain Korean Adoptee “Rights” groups before becoming involved with them.