International adoptions rise on negative perception
By Lee Suh-yoonWith the number of domestic adoptions hitting a record low, the number of Korean children sent abroad for international adoption is rising again.Adoptions remain taboo in Korea – a society where blood ties still take precedence over all other relationships. This is why the country still sends hundreds of children overseas for adoption every year, even though the economy faces a declining birthrate. Only 465 Korean children were adopted domestically in 2017, according to data by the Ministry of Health and Welfare on May 11 – the “Day of Adoption” in Korea.Adoptions of Korean children by overseas families, however, increased by 64, or 20 percent, last year.This is making Asia's fourth-largest economy regain an unfavorable title – a “baby exporter.” It has one of the highest rates of elderly suicide, poverty, alcohol consumption, traffic accidents and inequality and lowest birthrates among OECD member nations. About 27,500 babies were born in February, down 9.8 percent, from 32,100 a year earlier, according to data
May 15, 2018