Yonhap News Agency Article:
S. Korea’s President Lee: “Korea Once Carried the Shame of Being a Child Exporting Country…I Apologize to Adoptees Who Suffered”.
Posted to Paperslip on October 1st, 2025.
Translation via ChatGPT.
Thank you to a Paperslip Contributor for the link.
Please click the link above to be taken to the original article (Korean).
+
Paperslip Note:
One can’t help but wonder if S. Korea’s recent experiences in the GA debacle might have given them some sympathy for the experiences of Overseas Adoptees.
+
Latest News
President Lee: “Korea Once Carried the Shame of Being a Child Exporting Country…I Apologize to Adoptees Who Suffered”
Posted: 2025-10-02 11:16 KST
3-Line Summary
By Seol Seung-eun, Reporter
"Some agencies were irresponsible in overseas adoptions… The state also failed in its duties"
Korea now a party to the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption… “The state will be a strong support system”
President Lee Jae-myung's Speech on World Korean Day
(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Kim Do-hoon – On October 2, President Lee Jae-myung delivered a commemorative speech at the 19th World Korean Day ceremony held at the Grand Walkerhill Seoul Hotel in Gwangjin-gu, Seoul.
[Presidential Press Photo Pool] superdoo82@yna.co.kr
(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Seol Seung-eun – On October 2, President Lee Jae-myung commented on South Korea officially attaining party status to the Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption, stating, “The state will be a strong support system for all adoptees.”
In a Facebook post that day, President Lee wrote, “As of today, the Republic of Korea officially holds party status to this convention,” adding the above pledge.
The convention strengthens the responsibility of the state in matters of adoption and enforces stricter standards for international adoptions. Under this framework, international adoption is only allowed after a domestic family cannot be found and must undergo a national review.
President Lee said, “The road to this rightful promise has not been proud. At one time, the Republic of Korea bore the disgraceful stigma of being a ‘child exporting country,’” and continued, “On behalf of Korea, I offer a sincere apology and words of comfort to all overseas adoptees, their families, and their birth families who have suffered.”
He added, “Since the Korean War, over 170,000 children have been adopted abroad, according to official records alone,” and pointed out that “even in the 2020s—despite Korea being considered an advanced nation—over 100 children a year were still sent to unfamiliar countries.”
“While some met loving adoptive families,” he acknowledged, “many others suffered lifelong pain due to the irresponsibility and negligence of some adoption agencies. Thinking about young children, unfamiliar with even the Korean language, being sent alone to distant foreign lands fills me with deep sorrow.”
President Lee also noted, “Recent court rulings and investigations by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission have confirmed that human rights violations occurred during some international adoptions,” and pointed out, “There were indeed areas where the state failed to fulfill its responsibilities.”
He urged relevant government agencies to “work closely together to fully ensure adoptees’ rights and establish a human rights-centered adoption system,” and to “develop effective support measures to assist overseas adoptees in finding their roots.”
Finally, he pledged, “We will do our utmost to ensure that adoptees, adoptive families, and birth families can live together in greater happiness.”
Contact: ses@yna.co.kr
+
Some pro-Adoptee remarks by S. Korea's President Lee on Facebook here.
Translation via ChatGPT:
“<We Will Protect the Lives of Adoptees Together with the International Community>
As of October 1st this year, the Republic of Korea has officially become a party to the Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption. By joining over 100 countries that have already ratified the Convention, we have pledged to the international community to place the highest priority on protecting children's rights and to operate both domestic and international adoption procedures transparently and responsibly.
Our journey to making this rightful promise is not one we can take pride in. Korea once bore the shameful label of being a “child-exporting country.” From the Korean War to recent years, over 170,000 children have been adopted overseas according to official records.
Even in the 2020s, when Korea is considered a developed country, more than 100 children per year on average have still had to leave for foreign lands. While some were fortunate to meet warm, loving adoptive families, many others suffered lifelong pain due to the irresponsibility and neglect of certain adoption agencies.
It weighs heavily on the heart to imagine the anxiety, suffering, and confusion of young adoptees—many who could barely speak Korean—suddenly sent alone to unfamiliar, faraway countries.
Recent court rulings and investigations by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission have revealed cases of unjust human rights violations during the overseas adoption process. In some of these cases, the state failed to fulfill its responsibilities.
On behalf of the Republic of Korea, I offer my sincere apology and words of comfort to overseas adoptees, their adoptive families, and their birth families who have endured pain.
Since July, the enactment of the Special Act on Domestic Adoption and the Act on Intercountry Adoption has established a system in which the national and local governments are now responsible for adoption procedures. From now on, the nation will be a reliable support system for all adoptees.
I urge the relevant government agencies to work closely together to ensure the protection of adoptees’ rights and to establish a human rights-centered adoption system. Additionally, please develop effective support measures to assist overseas adoptees in reconnecting with their roots.
We will do everything we can so that adoptees, adoptive families, and birth families can live happier lives together through mutual connection and support.”