Korean adoptee in search of biological parents

Sarah Funston and her daughters, Hattie, 6, and Harper, 9 / Courtesy of Sarah Funston

By Jung Min-ho

Sarah Funston (Kim Mee-jo) has a purple birthmark (looks like a bruise) on the back of her right calf, which is a unique identifier.

Throughout her childhood, Sarah Funston felt “supported and loved” by her adoptive family. She often wondered about her biological parents, but did not feel the need to look for them ― until she gave birth to her first daughter.

“I've always been curious about my birth family, but the impetus for my search began after having my own biological children nine years ago,” Funston, now 37, told The Korea Times. “I finally had the courage to seek answers about my culture and my past.

“I currently work as a social worker. Growing up (as an adoptee), I know the complexities involving adoption and how it impacts all parties ― the adoptees, the adoptive parents and the birth parents. As I help others in my professional role, I also need to explore my own personal narrative about my own history and what that means to me.”

Funston was found abandoned in Daegu in the 1980 winter. On Dec. 27, 1980, she was taken from Dongshinahn Police Box to the White Lily Orphanage, where she was given a birth date of Oct. 19, 1980, and her Korean name “Kim Mee-jo.” On Feb. 26, 1981, she was admitted to the Holt agency and eventually adopted by a couple in Seattle, Washington, when she was barely eight months old.

Sarah Funston and her adoptive mother

“My adoptive parents had one biological daughter, my adoptive sister, who is five years older than me,” Funston said. “My parents were foster parents to unaccompanied minors from Vietnam, so I grew up in a multicultural family. My cousins are also adopted from Seoul.

“My childhood was loving and supportive. I felt different from my Scandinavian parents. My adoptive father had bright blond hair and blue eyes … I've always viewed myself somewhat disconnected from my Korean heritage and my adoptive families' Scandinavian heritage.”

She said she will visit the country of her birth this year or next. She is now researching all the details about her birth and trying to reach out to people who might be interested in a trip to Korea for the same purpose.

“While raising my own children, I want to be able to have a solid sense of self,” Funston said. “I would love to connect the pieces and to bring a deeper sense of meaning and connection to my earlier months prior to my adoption.

“I would want my birth parents to know that I am so grateful for giving me this life and for making a very selfless decision to give me a better life if they were unable to care for me. One day I would like to meet them and tell them 'thank you' for this beautiful life.”