The Reality Of What It Really Might Take For Korean Adoptees To Get A New Truth And Reconciliation
Commission (TRC) 3.

Posted to Paperslip on April 11th, 2025.

It will take more than one protest by Korean Adoptees to get an extension to TRC 2 or to get TRC 3.

Recently Korean Adoptees staged a protest in front of the TRC (Truth and Reconciliation Commission) building in Seoul to demand either an extension of the current TRC 2 (in which Overseas Adoption was investigated but which concludes on May 26th, 2025) or the creation of a new TRC 3.

An Anonymous source recently provided us with insight on what it might REALLY take for Korean Adoptees and other victims of state violence in Korea to get a new TRC (Truth and Reconciliation Commission) investigation, or TRC 3.

The current TRC 2 - which began on December 10th, 2020 and concludes on May 26th, 2025 - includes an investigation into Overseas Adoption, yet leaves a possible 311 cases of Korean Adoptees without results. Since Korean Adoptees naturally want ALL of the originally submitted 367 cases to be investigated (not counting the TRC cases which were withdrawn), they recently staged a protest to demand that either TRC 2 be extended or that there be a new TRC 3. However, at this point, neither option seems likely nor easy, despite one small protest by Korean Adoptees and their allies.

Hint - it’s likely going to take far more than just one protest by Korean Adoptees to get to TRC 3:

According to an Anonymous Korean source:

’”Some (non-Korean Adoptee) Korean victims with TRC 2 cases received a decision to be investigated by the TRC 2 last year (2024), and they’ve just been waiting for the TRC’s final report. I told them, “Unfortunately, I think your case might have expired. In two weeks, 4 out of the 9 TRC commissioners will be leaving, and there are only about 40 days left until everything ends” (for TRC 2, which concludes on May 26th, 2025).

“I told them, “If you want your case to be included in TRC 3 (the current TRC which is investigating Overseas Adoption amongst other victims’ issues is wrapping up May 26th, 2025 is TRC 2), pitch a tent and protest in front of the Korean National Assembly—not the TRC building—like your life depends on it. That’s exactly how the Brothers Home victims pushed TRC 2 to be brought to South Korea.”

“The Brothers Home victims protested for over two consecutive years and went on a 24-day hunger strike before collapsing.”

(See related videos below this section).

The Anonymous Korean source relates this to the current plight of Korean Adoptees, who are currently pushing for either a continuation of TRC 2 or the creation of TRC 3 in order to investigate the remaining 311 cases which will likely be dropped at the conclusion of TRC 2 on May 26th, 2025:

“As regards Korean Adoptees (who want to push your cases with the TRC) you had better take care of their health—because you may need to keep fighting well into your 60s or even 70s.”

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These Videos Show What It Took For The Brothers Home Victims To Get TRC 2
(In Which Their Cases Were Eventually Heard When TRC 2 Began On December 10th, 2020):

Korean Language, turn on automatic translation in YouTube to get the gist.

Video above: "24 days of high-altitude hunger strike in front of the National Assembly... A Brother Home victim collapses"
JTBC News

Air Date: Nov 29th, 2019
(TRC 2 began December 10th, 2020, and Brothers Home cases were reviewed).

"Today (the 29th) marks the 24th day of a solo hunger strike in front of the National Assembly. A survivor of the Busan Brothers Home incident collapsed. The National Assembly has been working on legislation to uncover the truth behind this and other historical incidents, but once again, there was no progress today."

"Brother’s Home victim climbs onto roof in front of National Assembly… 'Until the law passes'" / KBS News

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Video above:
Air Date: Nov 11th, 2019
A victim of the Busan Brothers Home incident—a case involving forced labor and abuse that left over 500 dead—has been continuing a high-altitude protest in front of the National Assembly since last week.
Despite two years of protest on the ground, no law has been passed to initiate a proper investigation, prompting the victim to escalate to a rooftop protest.

He is pleading for the legislation to be passed during the 20th National Assembly.

Here is reporter Kim Jin-ho.

[Report]
He has rewritten the number on a whiteboard 734 times, marking each day of his protest.

Over two years in front of the National Assembly—and still, nothing has changed.

Choi Seung-woo, who was falsely accused of stealing bread as a child and confined at Brothers Home, climbed on top of a subway elevator in the cold weather.

[Choi Seung-woo / Brothers Home victim]
"I'm starting to feel weak. I’m feeling dizzy… I’m only taking in water and salt."

The so-called “Korean Auschwitz” is what this case has come to be known as, and a special bill to uncover the truth behind it is still stalled.
The Past Affairs Act recently passed a standing committee and was sent to the Legislation and Judiciary Committee.

But disagreements between political parties over the composition of the investigative committee are making its passage difficult.

For victims, the situation feels hopeless.

[Han Jong-seon / Brothers Home victim]
"All we want is the truth. Why was I taken? Why did my father die? We want answers… but our hopes have hit rock bottom."

In five months, there will be another parliamentary election.
Choi is pleading that this time, unlike during the 19th Assembly when the bill was discarded, it must be passed.

[Choi Seung-woo / Brothers Home victim]
"I hope people come together to speak out in one voice against state violence, and that we resolve this chapter of our past together."

This is Kim Jin-ho, KBS News.