Korea Adoption

An Overview

South Korea has the world's oldest international adoption program. More than 200,000 children have been adopted from that country since the mid-1950s, when many children placed for adoption were biracial children fathered by U.S. military personnel during and after the Korean War. Most children available for adoption today are placed by unmarried mothers who are concerned about the stigma against children who are born out of wedlock.

Korea now places the fifth-largest number of children with U.S. families. Typically, infants are relinquished at birth and live with a foster family until they're adopted. New regulations in Korea require a five-month attempt to place an infant within the country, so children may be slightly older by the time they join their families. Background information on the birth family is usually available. Parents have the option of traveling to Korea for the adoption, or having the child escorted to the United States.

A birthmother in Korea wrote, "You needed to be loved by family members, and you could have that love only if you were in a family. I couldn't give that love by myself. Therefore, adoption was my gift to you" (from the book I Wish for You a Beautiful Life).

Fast Facts:

Number of adoptions from South Korea:
Source: U.S. State Department
2007: 939
2006: 1,376
2005: 1,630
2004: 1,716
2003: 1,790
2002: 1,779

Age/gender of children adopted from Korea in 2006:
Source: INS Immigration Statistics
37% Female
88% under 1 year of age
11% 1 – 4 years of age

Estimated Cost: $20,000 to $30,000
Profile of Children: 9 months to 4 years. Nearly 90% are under 1 year old (2006). Special-needs and older children are available.
Parent Ages: Both parents must be 25 to 44 years old at placement; sometimes waived for special-needs children and parents of Korean ancestry. Some agencies may have other restrictions.
Family Status: Must be married at least 3 years; 1 divorce per spouse. No singles. Fewer than 4 children already at home. Some agencies may have other restrictions.
Travel: Parents may travel or have children escorted to the United States.
Timeline: From completed dossier to referral, about 10 to 20 months. Wait time for a boy may be shorter.

Helpful articles from Adoptive Families magazine:

Music in His Genes by Sara Martin

Why Tae Kwon Do? by Tracy Hahn-Burkett

Crossing a Cultural Bridge by Chris Winston

Raising a Child of Another Race by Jana Wolff

Adopting Internationally by Susan Freivalds

Our Journey to Lucy by Christina Frank and Josh Lerman

The Reluctant Spouse by Jill Smolowe

To get started in Korea adoption:

Find an adoption agency with a Korea program. Find one through Adoptive Families' searchable database.

Join a parent support group near you. Find one that includes families who've adopted in Korea. Try the Korean American Adoptee Adoptive Family Network, www.kaanet.com, or try the Adoptive Families searchable support group database.

Attend a pre-adoption information meeting. Find one near you through Adoptive Families' searchable events database.

Consult these helpful books for families adopting in South Korea:

When You Were Born in Korea, by Brian E. Boyd

I Wish for You a Beautiful Life: Letters from the Korean Birth Mothers of Ae Ran Won to Their Children, by Sara Dorow

Best online information sources for Korea pre-adopters:

Korean American Adoptee Adoptive Family Network, for cultural programs, support groups, information on how to adopt

Adopting from Korea

See also Adoptive Families' picks for the best websites for pre adopters

Join one of these online communities:

Korean Focus, a family support organization with chapters in VA, MD, TN and OH.

Adopt Korea at Yahoo Groups, for pre- and post-adopters and adoptees.

Korean Focus at Yahoo Groups, discussion list for all interested in or involved in Korean adoption.

Consult these websites to stay up to date:

U.S. State Department Country Information Flyer

U.S. Embassy in South Korea