InterviewHead of state adoption agency vows transparency as gov’t takes over process

This photo shows the National Center for the Rights of the Child's archive facility for adoption records in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, July 23. Yonhap

The director of Korea’s national adoption agency is pledging to help establish a transparent system as the government moves to overhaul the longstanding practice of outsourcing adoptions to private agencies.

Han Myoung-ae, director general at the adoption services office of the National Center for the Rights of the Child

The restructuring, which took effect on July 19 with the enactment of the Act on International Adoption and the Special Act on Domestic Adoption, assigns the state full responsibility for all adoption procedures, including counseling, temporary care, screening, education of prospective adoptive parents and post-adoption support.

Under the transition, the state-run National Center for the Rights of the Child (NCRC) is now the primary institution responsible for the implementation and management of adoptions, including the operation of a temporary archival facility recently set up in Goyang to house all adoption records.

“In the past, many adoptees trying to search for their birth records here ended up being lost without knowing where and how to begin,” Han Myoung-ae, director general at the NCRC’s adoption services office, said in a recent interview. “Through the reform, we aim to end this confusion. Now they can do so by making requests to the NCRC.”

She said the implementation of the laws and operation of the facility are an important step toward rebuilding trust between the government and approximately 260,000 people adopted over the past 70 years, including 170,000 adopted by families overseas.

“Our mission is to help make this process transparent and convenient for adoptees if they want to find their records, as a responsible state organization,” Han said.

International adoption here began in the aftermath of the 1950-53 Korean War, which left many children orphaned or abandoned. After the devastating conflict, the government saw international adoption as a solution to the issue and supported it by enacting policies and empowering private agencies.

But the system failed many children.

In March, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission found that past Korean governments were responsible for human rights violations in overseas adoptions, citing falsified records and inadequate oversight.

As part of the overhaul, all adoption records will be stored at the NCRC archive facility. Han said the transfer of roughly 260,000 records from eight major private adoption agencies and several child care facilities to the archive will be completed by the end of the year. Starting next year, the agency will begin collecting remaining records from other adoption agencies, child care facilities and local governments.

When adoptees request access to their adoption information, the NCRC will retrieve the relevant records from its archive, scan them and provide digital copies through its website. Those wishing to view original documents can do so by visiting the archive in person.

The archive is located on the fourth floor of a logistics center in Goyang, north of Seoul. Han noted that the facility meets government standards for space and load-bearing capacity required for storing special records. The shelving area covers approximately 670 pyeong (about 2,215 square meters), with total usable space — including work and office areas — amounting to 1,472 pyeong (roughly 4,865 square meters).

The NCRC originally planned to establish a permanent archive, but the project was halted as a result of budget constraints. Han said the agency aims to secure sufficient funding next year to conduct a feasibility study on potential future sites, with the goal of building a permanent facility dedicated to the records by 2031.