Taking Care Of Your Mental Health During TRC 3.

Posted to Paperslip on February 2nd, 2026.
TRC 3 = Third Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Republic of Korea.

+

UPDATE — Please see:
PAPERSLIP BLOG: INFO HUB FOR TRC 3 AND IMPORTANT NEWS UPDATES

Please see the dropdown menu on our homepage titled:
DROPDOWN: TRC 3—Third Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Republic of Korea (2026-?)

Related:
You Can Submit Your Case To TRC 3 Independently Of Any Other “Korean Rights” Group

+

We want to caution Korean Adoptees who are considering submitting their cases for the TRC 3 investigation into Overseas Adoption, which begins on February 26th, 2026, to take special care of their mental health throughout this at least 4 year process. The TRC process attracts many Adoptees with often complex and sometimes severe cases of fraud and abuse, which can unexpectedly bring about extremely strong emotions and feelings surrounding the past.

There are several factors that Adoptees should be aware of before engaging with TRC 3. Having a strong emotional support system will be critically important for anyone submitting a case. Currently, TRC 3 provides no direct mental health guidance, and the related “Korean Rights” groups — who aim to be the sole mouthpiece in this movement — do not provide mental health support either. Fortunately, TRC 3 allows Korean Adoptees to submit their cases independently of any “Representative” groups. Actually, TRC 2 allowed you to do that, too — but unfortunately, Adoptees were not informed by representative groups that they could submit their cases independently.

For these reasons and more, it is essential that you take extra care of yourself and prioritize your emotional well-being throughout the process.

While not widely known, there was a Norwegian TRC 2 participant who commit suicide in October 2024. We do not know the particular circumstances which led to her death, but we want to caution prospective TRC 3 participants that participation in the TRC 3 process can bring about strong feelings of anxiousness and depression, and for some can induce feelings of suicidality — given that the focus of TRC 3’s investigation into Overseas Adoption is chiefly about adoption fraud and abuse. The TRC 2 process attracted many of us with deeply falsified cases — and from personal experience, we can tell you that the TRC process can stir up some deep feelings of trauma.

We are additionally very concerned that TRC 3 is encouraging so many Adoptees to submit their sensitive, private adoption documents to them in the midst of the current environment in the U.S.

We have already posted a significant amount of information about filing at TRC 3 case INDEPENDENTLY here:

PAPERSLIP BLOG: INFO HUB FOR TRC 3 AND IMPORTANT NEWS UPDATES

We cannot more strongly recommend that IF you choose to engage with the TRC 3 process, that you work with a counselor or therapist throughout the process. We have personally witnessed the sad aftereffects of the TRC 2 process on two Korean Adoptees who attempted suicide.

We also think it’s important to provide a realistic set of expectations for how many Korean Adoptee cases TRC 3 may actually be able to investigate during its limited tenure of a few years time. The TRC 2 investigation into Overseas Adoption lasted from 2022-2025 (having just concluded at the end of 2025), and TRC 3 is slated to begin on February 26th, 2026. However, of the 367 Korean Adoptees who submitted their cases to TRC 2, just 56 Adoptees received judgments in their cases. This left 311 cases un-investigated. These 311 cases of Korean Adoptees will have to be investigated and closed FIRST, BEFORE any NEW, additional cases submitted during TRC 3 will be addressed. Unfortunately, we can’t really know what will happen in advance.

Please note that there will be a 2 YEAR submission process for TRC 3, followed by a 2 YEAR investigation period. Please be patient, and in the meantime, prepare your documents and timelines — but also know that you have time, and do not have to rush to submit everything to TRC 3 by February 26th, 2026.

Korean Adoptees can submit their own cases INDEPENDENTLY of any representative group.

We will post more information as it becomes available here:

PAPERSLIP BLOG: INFO HUB FOR TRC 3 AND IMPORTANT NEWS UPDATES

In the meantime, please take care of yourselves. It’s a tough time overall in the world, and finding some mental peace and comfort is important for all of us in these unpredictable times.

It is not our place to tell Adoptees what to do regarding TRC 3; however, for those who decide to brave the process, we hope that Adoptees will manage their expectations — and that they will find avenues of support for the long years ahead.