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| Peter Moller, co-founder of Danish Korean Rights Group (DKRG) speaks during an interview with The Korea Times at the newspaper's office in Seoul, Sept. 30. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul |
By Lee Hyo-jin
Adoption agency Holt International has denied allegations that it had forged adoption documents, in response to claims made by a group of Danish adoptees who said their adoption proceedings involved irregularities by Korean agencies.
In a recent interview with The Korea Times, Peter Moller, co-founder of the Danish Korean Rights Group (DKRG), claimed that two Seoul-based adoption agencies ― Holt and the Korea Social Society (KSS) ― fabricated many of the adoption documents of Korean children who were sent to Demark in the 1970s and 1980s.
Moller disclosed a letter sent from the KSS to a Danish adoptee in 2016, which stated, "In fact, it (the adoption file) was made up just for the adoption procedures."
The Danish adoptee speculated that Holt, the country's largest adoption agency, had also falsified or distorted documents. He claimed that some adoptees sent overseas by Holt found themselves registered as orphans, even though the agencies knew that their biological parents were very much alive.
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While the KSS has not responded to The Korea Times' requests for comments, Holt denied the allegations in a recent media interview.
"Until 2012, under relevant laws, when a child was admitted to an adoption agency, we had to make a separate family register for the child. Some adoptees seem to be mistaking this with orphan registration," a Holt official was quoted as saying by Yonhap News Agency, Monday.
The official denied any fabrication of documents, claiming that the agency recorded only facts.
Expressing regrets over "misunderstandings between the adoptees due to legal, cultural differences," the agency said it is providing information (about the adoptees' backgrounds) upon their request and will continue to do so in the future.
The DKRG filed an application to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in late August, demanding the Korean authorities to launch a formal investigation into alleged illegal practices by Holt and the KSS, which they believe involve fraudulent documents and child abductions. The commission will decide by the end of this year whether to accept the application.
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