South Korea sent hundreds of thousands of children abroad after being ravaged by war. Most of these children are now adults.
For decades, South Korea has been known as the world’s largest “exporter of children.” Hundreds of thousands of children were sent abroad after the country was ravaged by war. Many of these adopted children are now trying to find their roots. At the same time, they alleged, they were forcibly taken away from their mother.
South Korea sent hundreds of thousands of children abroad after being ravaged by war. Most of these children are now adults. They are scattered in different parts of the world. They have accused the agencies that adopted them abroad of corruption and malpractice. Not only that, they also alleged that in some cases they were forcibly separated from their families.
A Korean government commission released a report earlier this week. The report backs up the claims of people looking for roots. And at the same time they proved and showed in favor of their claim.
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission was commissioned to investigate the allegations in 2022. In the 1980s, several government-sponsored institutions forcibly transferred more than a dozen children to adoption agencies, they found. These babies are sometimes reported to be given to adoption agencies on the day of birth or the next day.
A review of data from three institutions in the cities of Daegu and Sejong showed that in 1985 and 1986 a total of 20 children were transferred to the institutions they adopted. Most of these children were adopted in the United States, Australia, Norway and Denmark.
The institutions forcibly separated children from their parents, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission told CNN in a statement. It is said that the commission is still investigating the matter. A final report is expected to be released later this year after the investigation.
