On May 11, 2006, National Adoption Day was established to achieve a healthy adoption culture and to encourage domestic adoptions.

However, real change seems to have been slow. Even now, adoptees are still exposed to illegal trades or violence.

Lately, an unidentified person uploaded a posting that she said she wanted her unborn daughter expected this week to be adopted. To the posting, two replies were, “Please contact me,” and “I want to adopt her if you sign a note that you will never come to see her.”

This “private adoption without public channels” can be often found in society, although it is illegal. This is because it is hard to collect evidence to punish those who trade babies.

“There are more adoption trades via the Internet than you might think,” said Hwang Ji-yeong, a social worker from the Eastern Social Welfare Society. “When a single mother uploads a posting, a couple without a baby or a broker contacts her.”

“What matters is that a few brokers take money without handing over a baby or pay less money than promised to the baby’s mother,” said Hwang, adding that these personal adoptions would lead to legal troubles as it is not possible to give up parental rights.

Also, some adopters, who mistreat children and assault them sexually, are other obstacles for building a healthy adoption culture.

A 34-year-old woman, whose surname is Choi, killed her two adoptees for insurance money. She gave her adopted babies unboiled water without sterilizing their feeding bottles. They died soon after and she took a total of 22 million won from insurance companies. She was sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment last August.

A pastor in his 60s raped his adopted daughter who was a child of his cousin. The adoptee had been sexually molested by him since she was 12 years old. And she was raped when becoming of age. The court sentenced him to six years in prison. “He did not show any sign of remorse, denying his anti-humanity crimes,” the ruling said.