Lost and Found: A Mother's Struggle and a Nation's Adoption Secrets

A South Korean woman has filed a lawsuit against her government, an adoption agency, and an orphanage for the wrongful adoption of her daughter. The case, which highlights South Korea's dubious adoption practices in the 1970s-80s, may ignite further scrutiny and debate over child-gathering and paperwork falsification.

A 70-year-old South Korean woman, Han Tae-soon, has taken legal action against her government, an adoption agency, and an orphanage over the adoption of her daughter, who was kidnapped and sent to the U.S. in 1976. Han's story, part of an Associated Press investigation, sheds light on South Korea's controversial adoption practices during the 1970s and 1980s.

Han's daughter, Laurie Bender, was described as an abandoned orphan, though Han had reported her missing and searched extensively. Han accuses Holt Children's Services of negligent practices, claiming they facilitated Bender's adoption without verifying her background. She is seeking explanations and accountability from the authorities involved.

The lawsuit, which could pave the way for more such cases, underscores the failure of South Korean institutions to appropriately handle child adoptions and missing child reports. Han's legal representatives argue that both the state and the involved organizations neglected their ethical obligations to reunite missing children with their families.

(With inputs from agencies.)