Effectively The TRC (Truth and Reconciliation Commission) 2 Investigation Into Overseas Adoption Is Over. TRC 2 began on December 10th, 2020 and officially concludes on May 26th, 2025.
Hankyoreh Article:
“42 More Overseas Adoptees Denied Truth-Finding…Remaining 311 Cases ‘Investigation Halted’”.
Posted to Paperslip on April 23rd, 2025.
Translation via ChatGPT.
Bolds and red highlighting ours.
See TRC History below:
Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Korea - History From Korean Wikipedia
Paperslip Note:
One thing to consider is that even if there is a new TRC 3, it would not happen before the file transfer to NCRC. So presumably any new TRC investigation would be hampered by the disorder of the file transfer to NCRC, which the current head of NCRC predicts will take 10 years to sort out.
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Translation via ChatGPT:
“42 More Overseas Adoptees Denied Truth-Finding…Remaining 311 Cases ‘Investigation Halted’”
Published: April 23, 2025, 6:04 PM | Updated: April 23, 2025, 6:14 PM
By Reporter Ko Kyung-tae
Chairperson Park Sun-young Also Opposed…Likely to Be Handed Over to the 3rd Truth and Reconciliation Commission
Forty-two victims of human rights violations during the overseas adoption process—whose cases had previously been put on hold by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission—have again failed to overcome the barrier of having those violations officially acknowledged and were ultimately labeled as "investigation halted." With 269 additional cases also dismissed due to time constraints, a total of 311 adoptees will now have to wait for the next iteration of the commission to have any hope of truth-finding.
According to commission officials on the 23rd, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission reviewed 42 cases during its 107th plenary session held the previous day, which had initially been put on hold on March 25. However, commissioners recommended by the ruling party once again cited the "lack of records"—the same reason used previously—as justification for only recognizing a portion of the cases. Although some commissioners, including Standing Commissioner Lee Sang-hoon, supported a full acknowledgment of all 42 cases, no consensus or vote was reached, and the session concluded with an agreement to halt the investigations. Chairperson Park Sun-young reportedly opposed truth-finding in 36 out of the 42 cases, supporting only 6.
Opposition party–recommended commissioners, anticipating that any vote would likely end in an irreversible "dismissal," opted not to vote. They believed that resubmitting the cases to the third Truth and Reconciliation Commission, even if delayed, would better serve the victims. Due to time constraints in the current commission’s term, the 269 cases that weren’t even discussed in this session were also labeled as “investigation halted.” A total of 367 adoptees had submitted petitions to the commission seeking truth-finding regarding human rights violations in the adoption process.
The overseas adoption issue stems from the South Korean government’s decision, starting in the 1950s, to delegate most adoption affairs to adoption agencies as a cost-saving measure for domestic welfare. This led to tens of thousands of children being sent abroad for adoption without proper legal or administrative procedures. Lapses in legislation, government oversight, and bureaucratic processes resulted in numerous human rights violations. Starting in the 1960s, the government aimed to reduce the number of children under home care and institutional protection to cut welfare costs. After a failed domestic adoption promotion campaign in the mid-1970s, the government lifted annual limits on overseas adoption in the early 1980s. According to Ministry of Health and Welfare statistics, 169,859 children were adopted internationally between 1953 and 2023, with unofficial estimates reaching up to 200,000.
Previously, at the 102nd plenary session on March 25, the commission reviewed 98 of the 367 cases and officially acknowledged truth-finding in only 56. The remaining 42 were put on hold due to opposition from ruling party–recommended commissioners, including Chairperson Park. At the press conference announcing those decisions, Park explained, “We decided to look further because of a lack of evidence proving these cases were instances of state violence. Of course, in cases involving incomplete adoption paperwork or children abandoned without records, documents might be missing or deliberately destroyed, but it was a decision reached after intense deliberation.”
Adoptees and both domestic and international adoptee rights groups have strongly criticized the decision, arguing, “Most overseas adoptees were adopted based on falsified or manipulated documents created by adoption agencies. Citing lack of information to delay truth-finding is contradictory.” They have continued to call for all cases to be fully acknowledged.”
—Ko Kyung-tae, k21@hani.co.kr