S. Korea reviews rights protection for overseas adoptees

Seoul South Korea's presidential office on Wednesday held a meeting to discuss measures to protect the rights of Korean children adopted overseas and address complaints raised by adoptees from around the world. Second Deputy National Security Adviser Lim Woong-soon chaired the meeting of the presidential task force on overseas Koreans. The discussions focused on strengthening government-wide efforts to safeguard adoptees' rights and improving support mechanisms, the presidential office said. The meeting reviewed measures to resolve complaints from overseas adoptees and examined progress in implementing recommendations made by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. In March last year, the commission recognised dozens of overseas Korean adoptees as victims of human rights violations following complaints from hundreds of individuals. It found that inadequate government supervision had contributed to abuses during the country's five-decade history of overseas adoptions. The commission identified cases involving fabricated documents that falsely described children as orphans and insufficient checks on the qualifications of prospective adoptive parents. It recommended an official government apology, relief measures and improvements in access to adoption-related records. South Korea has an estimated 168,000 adoptees living overseas, according to the presidential office. Wednesday's meeting also examined procedures for managing adoption records, restoring Korean nationality and helping adoptees trace their biological families. Officials discussed measures to improve resettlement assistance and strengthen systems providing adoption-related information. President Lee Jae Myung had apologised in October last year for the suffering experienced by overseas adoptees and promised stronger efforts to protect their rights. In October this year, First Lady Kim Hea Kyung also expressed hope that overseas adoptees would strengthen their connections with South Korea during a gathering organised by the International Korean Adoptee Associations (IKAA) in Seoul. IKAA President Tommy Gentzel said relations between South Korea and overseas adoptees had significant potential, stressing that recognising past suffering and taking meaningful reconciliation measures were essential. He also urged South Korean authorities and relevant institutions to provide resources and assistance, including DNA testing facilities, to help adoptees locate their biological families.