Lee Hyo-jin covers the Bank of Korea, the banking industry and broader financial news. Her previous beats include foreign affairs, North Korea and general reporting on Korean society.
INTERVIEW Korean adoptee to Sweden traces roots to founder of ancient kingdom
Jenny Dargren poses during a Chunbun ceremony, an annual spring ancestral rite at "Balhae Village" in Gyeongsan, North Gyeongsang Province, March 20. Courtesy of Jenny Dargren
By Lee Hyo-jin
Search for biological roots leads Korean adoptee to unexpected link with Korea's ancient Balhae Kingdom
Jenny Dargren, 51, a Korean adoptee to Sweden, says her yearslong search for her biological family led to an unexpected discovery — a possible lineage linked to Dae Jo-yeong, founder of Korea's ancient Balhae Kingdom (698-926).
Born in Korea under the name Tae Jeong-sun, Dargren was adopted to Sweden as an infant in 1975 with little known background.
She had questioned her identity for most of her life and began actively searching for her origins around 2014.
"I reached out to a lot of government agencies and submitted DNA to multiple databases, but to find my biological family needs their approval, so everything remained sealed," Dargren told The Korea Times in a recent interview.
However, a different route led to a breakthrough.
After multiple inquiries to adoption agencies and local governments, Dargren was eventually connected — through officials in Gyeongsan, North Gyeongsang Province — to members of the "Yeongsun Tae" clan.
The Tae clan is centered in a small community known as "Balhae Village" in Gyeongsan, where dozens of families bearing the Tae surname, believed to be descendants of Dae Jo-yeong, live together. The surname is considered rare in Korea, with fewer than 10,000 members nationwide.
Clan members compared their jokbo (genealogical records) with Dargren's available personal information, including her adoption documents, and told her she likely belongs to the lineage.
An official at Balhae Village told The Korea Times that, based on the records, Dargren is believed to belong to the 27th generation of the Tae lineage, citing the generational naming pattern in her Korean name. The official added that her family origin, "Yeongsun Tae," was recorded in her birth registration.
Jenny Dargren, right, poses with Tae Jae-uk, chairman of the Balhae Royal Ancestral Ritual Preservation Association, during an annual spring ancestral rite at "Balhae Village" in Gyeongsan, North Gyeongsang Province, March 20. Courtesy of Jenny Dargren
In March, Dargren traveled to Korea to attend a Chunbun ceremony in the village, an annual spring ancestral rite honoring the Balhae lineage, where she was introduced as a descendant.
"It was very emotional. There was a lot to take in. I was quite overwhelmed because they were so welcoming and gave me so much love and support," she said, describing the experience as feeling a sense of belonging in Korea for the first time despite multiple previous visits.
"Now I feel just Korean. I'm Korean in my DNA, but I'm also Korean in my soul. Previously, I used to say, 'I am Swedish but born in Korea,' but now I say, 'I am Korean but raised in Sweden.'"
Dargren has since been studying the history of the Balhae Kingdom and remains in contact with members of the village.
The adoptee's search for her biological roots, however, is far from over.
She is still reviewing genealogical records, following clues provided by clan members to identify her biological father, and plans to return to Korea later this year.
"I think there's a good chance I will eventually learn who my parents are, or at least who my father is," she said. "I will totally respect whatever they feel, whether they want to meet me or not. But for my own sake and identity, I would really want to know what happened to me."