Adoptees demand expanded access to South Korea birth records

South Koreans adopted in Western nations demonstrated outside the presidential office in Seoul on Friday. They demanded full access to their personal files and increased government efforts to locate biological relatives. The group argued that current search efforts are often blocked by inaccurate or falsified archives.

The protest followed a gathering of hundreds of Korean adoptees in the capital earlier in the week. The movement is taking place while the administration of President Lee Jae Myung weighs major changes to how the government handles record requests and family tracing.

A joint statement signed by nine organizations from Europe and the United States, along with local human rights advocates, outlined specific demands. The groups called for expanded DNA testing and matching services. They also requested broader access to administrative and residency records to aid in family searches.

The statement called for new investigations into the manipulation of adoption records and the origins of children. It highlighted issues of undue separation between children and parents that affected the historic adoption program. The signatories also sought clearer pathways for reparations for those affected by fraud and widespread abuse.

Currently, the process is overseen by the National Center for Child Rights, an agency under the Ministry of Health and Welfare. Authorities are considering giving a larger role to the Agency for Koreans Abroad. That agency operates under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and is viewed as better positioned to coordinate with Western countries that received Korean children. Such changes may require new legislation.

Legislators are debating multiple bills to improve the search for biological families. One proposal would loosen privacy restrictions to allow adoptees to obtain information about their parents. Under this rule, information would be accessible unless the parents explicitly requested confidentiality.