Today, May 11, has been designated as “Adoption Day” in South Korea, the beginning of a week of events promoting domestic adoption among Koreans. Adoption Day was begun last year by the Ministry of Health and Welfare.
In 2004, 2,258 children left Korea to be adopted in other countries. Primarily the adoptive parents were from U.S. and Australia, but Korean children have also been adopted in the Netherlands and the Scandinavian countries, and probably others.
In the same year 1,641 Koreans adopted children. This was nearly 100 domestic adoptions more than in 2003.
According to editorials in the Korea Times, many Koreans feel ashamed that a country considered to be doing well economically will be seen as unwilling to take care of its children. Yet tremendous social barriers to adoption still exist. Blood ties are very important in this country, in which the patrilineal family register is an important document used throughout one’s life. Many Koreans who have adopted in the past have kept it a secret, requesting children with the parents’ blood type and even padding their abdomens to feign pregnancy.
It is only in the last five years that the Korean government has taken steps to remove legal distinctions between biological and adoptive children, and to open certain kinds of employment to persons of mixed race.
However, groups like MPAK (in English, Mission to Promote Adoption in Korea) are vocal about their adopted children, hoping to inspire others to adopt. MPAK sponsors get-togethers for adoptive families several times a year and shared their stories of adoption and family life in a book published in Korean, The Beautiful Children.
While Korea is a country I feel wholeheartedly good about having adopted from, it is good to see attitudes toward adoption changing. This can only benefit our children as they grow up and meet Koreans in the U.S. or visit Korea themselves.
Please see these related blogs:
Group Apologies and Ethnic Shame Part Two: Can We Understand Each Other?