Denmark’s Ministry of Social of Social affairs has released a report revealing that adoptions of South Korean children were subject to “systemic illegal behavior” on the part of South Korea. The report focused on the period between January 1, 1970 and December 31, 1989 and was released on Thursday.
The report deplored the lack of adequate regulations and the consequences for adoptees, stating:
The inadequate regulation of the mediation system and the South Korean rules on family registration created a leeway for the South Korean organizations to change the adoptee’s identity and background in the official South Korean documents and in the information that was present in the case that was sent to Denmark about the child.
The Danish Appeals Board, which is the body responsible for overseeing the adoptions of international children, added that a further aspect of the illegal behavior was the exchange of significant sums of money between the organizations of the respective countries, as reported by the Associated Press (AP).
The report follows up on several issues raised by the Danish Korean Rights Group, who welcomed the report but said it did not go far enough. In an official statement, the Danish Korean Rights Group contended that “[the] Danish Appeals Board’s report also paints a very flawed picture of the role of the Danish state and Danish authorities” and “does not mention the adoption procedures in Denmark at all and does not touch on the active actions and omissions during the period.”
Boonyoung Han of the Danish Korean Rights Group, speaking to AP, emphasized the need for an independent investigation so “those responsible will finally be held accountable for their actions.”
During the period addressed by the report, 7,220 children were adopted. Three agencies were assessed: DanAdopt, AC Boernehjaelp and Terres des Hommes. The report revealed that the first two agencies had knowledge of the practice of changing information about children. Action has since been taken to address the problems arising from permitting privately-run agencies to handle adoptions: in 2013, Seoul rendered it mandatory for foreign adoptions to be processed in family courts.
