By Kang Shin-who
Staff reporter
Washington State Senator Paull Shin, 65, has been named as honorary president of an overseas adoptees’ group.
The Global Overseas Adoptees’ Link (GOAL) said Sunday that Shin, the first Korean ever elected to the Washington State legislature, attended the nomination ceremony held in downtown Seoul Friday.
“Shin is a well-known and influential person among many Koreans, so we decided to invite him to our group,” said Kim Daewon, secretary general of the GOAL.
He added that Shin will help overseas Korean adoptees find their parents back in their homeland and learn the Korean language.
Shin was born in Korea and orphaned at the age of four. In 1954, he left for the U.S. after being adopted by a dentist named Ray Paull.
Formed in 1998, GOAL is dedicated to helping overseas Korean adoptees understand culture of their motherland and improve adoptees’ rights.