South Korea Acknowledges Adoption Fraud, Seeks Apology

Seoul, South Korea - A South Korean truth commission has released a report detailing significant fraud within the country's international adoption system. For decades, South Korea was a leading source of children for adoption by families in Western countries. However, the commission's findings reveal a disturbing pattern of coercion, falsified documentation, and financial incentives that led to children being sent abroad without proper consent or due process.

The commission's report highlights instances where adoption agencies pressured unwed mothers to give up their children, often providing misleading information or exploiting their vulnerable circumstances. In some cases, birth certificates were falsified to make children appear legally eligible for adoption, even when biological parents wished to keep them. The report also alleges that adoption agencies received substantial payments for each child placed internationally, creating a financial incentive to prioritize foreign adoptions over domestic alternatives.

The commission is recommending that the South Korean government issue a formal apology to all individuals affected by these fraudulent adoption practices. They are also calling for increased support services for adoptees and their birth families, as well as measures to prevent similar abuses in the future. The scandal has sparked renewed debate about the ethics of international adoption and the need for greater transparency and accountability in the process. The government is currently reviewing the commission's recommendations and considering its next steps.