South Korea’s Truth Commission Confirms Government Role in Adoption Scandal

The commission's report reveals systemic fraud, human rights violations, and identity falsifications in the country's foreign adoption program, urging reforms and reparations.

South Korea’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission concluded that the government facilitated a foreign adoption program marked by fraud, abuse, and identity falsifications.
The investigation found local and foreign adoption agencies colluded to meet international demand, often substituting children’s identities and violating adoptees’ rights.
The report highlights how economic pressures following the Korean War and inadequate legal frameworks enabled widespread violations over decades.
Recommendations include an official government apology, addressing citizenship gaps for adoptees, and ratifying The Hague Adoption Convention.
Adoptees criticized the findings as insufficient, arguing they failed to strongly establish government complicity or propose robust solutions.