South Korea’s President Lee Jae-myung has apologized for the country’s foreign adoption program, which sent over 140,000 children overseas between 1955 and 1999. In a statement on October 2, Lee said he felt “heavy-hearted” over the “anxiety, pain and confusion” suffered by adoptees, after investigators found the scheme violated human rights. Records were often falsified to portray children as abandoned orphans, with some identities switched.
The program began after the Korean War, partly to remove mixed-race children born to US soldiers and Korean mothers from a society focused on ethnic homogeneity. Adoptions have continued into the 2020s, with around 100 children still sent abroad each year. South Korea ratified the Hague Adoption Convention in July, with the treaty taking effect this week. Advocates say the move is a step toward stronger protections for adoptees and their families.
Uncertain futures loom for thousands of foreign-born adoptees in the United States, as bureaucratic oversight has left many without citizenship. Raised as Americans, many of these individuals were adopted as children and now live in fear of deportation to a country unknown to them. Some have already been deported, while others have been pushed into hiding. The US government has not taken action to provide legislative interventions to correct the situation, creating another challenge relevant to immigration issues.
What is the fate of these adoptees? Click through the following gallery to learn more about their situation.