Global Korean adoptee community gathers in Paju for official opening of Omma Poom Park
People crowd along the path at Omma Poom Park, dedicated to adoptees, set up at Camp Howze, a closed U.S. military base in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, June 13. Courtesy of Jenna Antoniewicz
Event criticized for remote location, participation of adoption agencies
PAJU, Gyeonggi Province — Hundreds of adoptees came to Korea late last month to commemorate the opening of Omma Poom Park on the grounds of a closed U.S. military base northwest of Seoul.
The park, which is intended to honor adoptees as well as their Korean birth mothers, had already been opened with a dedication ceremony in 2018, but this opening on June 13 and 14 was an official acknowledgement that anyone could access the park publicly.
Me and Korea, a U.S.-based adoptee organization, presented the two-day event along with the Paju city government to promote reflection, healing and reconciliation for adoptees returning to explore their roots and honor their histories. But the event also invited controversy due to the participation of adoption agencies, which have been widely criticized for violating the human rights of adoptees and their birth families.
The event featured an exhibition of more than 900 photos of adoptees and their messages to Korea, Korean citizens and even their long-lost birth families. The event included a screening of the movie “Dear Name” and performances by singer Sonnet Son and Ewha Womans University’s gayageum ensemble. There was also a new piece of artwork, “bLOSSom” by adoptee artists Leah Forester and Karen Woodburn of France, and installations by various artists including Nichole Hastings, also known as Nikoru.
For many adoptees, it was a profoundly meaningful event. Many adoptees brought their families. Some who had been reunited with their birth relatives shared the warm occasion with those loved ones. Adoptees wore name tags displaying their Korean and English names, date of birth and possible city of birth.
Adoptees' names in two languages as well as birthdates and locations are printed on nametags displayed at Omma Poom Park in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, June 27. Courtesy of Antonia Giordano
The event served as a reminder: These stories are real. Adoptees’ lives are not invisible. This gathering, this display, may be the only physical evidence that anchors them to Korea — a tangible acknowledgment that they belong to this history, too.
“To be able to share these works in person with my brothers and sisters in adoption means everything to me,” Nikoru said. "I was in bliss, which is said to be both pleasure and pain felt simultaneously.”
The pain part came as she remembered an acquaintance in the adoptee community who unfortunately took their own life, and she said she was proud that she could in some small way honor her memory.
For others that traveled long distances to take part in the event, there was a variety of mixed emotions over the park. While the dedication to realizing this park was appreciated, some wondered why it was so far from Seoul. The park is located near the back gate of Camp Howze, a U.S. military base that closed in 2005, and requires a trip over a steep hill both to and from the park. There are no trains servicing the area, and buses take approximately one hour from the center of Seoul.
For artist Lisa Wool-Rim Sjöblom, author of the graphic novel “Palimpsest: Documents From a Korean Adoption,” the logistics of getting both her works and herself to the park were difficult.
A mural is painted on a wall at Camp Howze, a closed U.S. military base in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, June 27. Courtesy of Antonia Giordano
The other thing that shocked some adoptees in attendance was the inclusion of private adoption organizations as well as the National Center for the Rights of the Child. These groups have been criticized via findings from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) as well as documentaries like “K-Number” over allegations of irregularities in overseas adoptions and ongoing failures to provide adequate transparency about adoption processes. There are still unanswered questions about the problematic methods used to procure children for adoption as well as improper or even fraudulent record-keeping.
“I couldn’t believe my ears when I heard the presidents from three of the four major adoption agencies being called on (for speeches),” Sjöblom said.
These included Korea Social Service, Holt International and Eastern Social Welfare Society.
“I got a bad taste in my mouth,” she said. “It hasn’t even been two months since the TRC held a press conference stating that all adoption agencies had been involved in the systematic violation of adoptees’ rights. Yet here they were, in a memorial park for adoptees… We became a PR stunt. I can’t imagine a more tone-deaf ceremony.”
The Korea Times contacted Me and Korea asking for comment, but no answer was provided.
Nevertheless, aside from the unpleasantness associated with this background, the participating adoptees made the most of the event and the dedicated space. Many adoptees hope that this will continue to highlight some of the domestic and international issues that have been raised about the adoption and foster care systems. Others celebrated the park, saying that even if it is small and hard to reach, it may help further connect them to the nation of their birth.
Many adoptees said they don’t need the pomp and circumstance that come with these events. While they can be affirming, healing begins with finding viable solutions to issues that have yet to be fully resolved. Even with the facts brought to light from ongoing investigations by government agencies and media, very little has been proposed on how to properly navigate and resolve those issues.
Visit meandkorea.org for more information.
Antonia Giordano is a freelance photographer and writer based in Seoul. An adoptee, Antonia deeply understands and connects with the issues surrounding adoption and post-adoption. Visit giordanoantonia.myportfolio.com and follow @antonia_creative_services on Instagram.