In 2023, Marie Wang, an adoptee raised in Denmark, began exploring her origins after knowing she was adopted from South Korea in the early 1990s. South Korea’s overseas adoption program, initiated after the 1950-53 Korean War to aid war orphans, has come under scrutiny following a nearly three-year investigation into 367 adoption cases.

The investigation uncovered serious irregularities including fabricated records, identity tampering, fraudulent registrations labeling children as abandoned orphans, and failures to obtain legal consent from birth parents. In response, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung issued a public statement offering a “heartfelt apology and words of comfort” to adoptees and their families, expressing sorrow over the “anxiety, pain and confusion” experienced by many.

Legal challenges continue as the Seoul Administrative Court referred parts of the Special Adoption Act to the Constitutional Court. The court is considering whether requiring birth parents’ consent before adoptees can access identifying information infringes on fundamental rights.

Advocates emphasize that while the government has acknowledged past wrongs, true accountability and justice remain outstanding concerns for the international adoptee community.

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