Korea's Troubling Adoption Past: Adoptees Seek Truth and Justice

A South Korean commission has revealed human rights violations in its foreign adoption program, citing fraud and abuse. The report, prompted by complaints from adoptees, describes systemic issues, including fabricated documents and coerced adoptions, leading to international investigations into the adoption practices.

A South Korean commission uncovered grave human rights violations within the country's foreign adoption program, citing rampant fraud and abuse in the process that sent approximately 200,000 South Korean children abroad.

The landmark report, released Wednesday, comes after numerous complaints from adoptees in Europe, the US, and Australia, detailing coerced adoptions and falsified documents. This investigation echoes findings by The Associated Press, which highlighted birth mothers being misled into giving up their children.

Conducting its most comprehensive inquiry yet, the commission found government negligence in protecting adoptees' rights, with Western nations ignoring red flags to meet domestic adoption demands. The report's fallout has prompted several European nations to probe their involvement, while the US remains unresponsive to similar calls. Experts criticize the Korean commission's suggested reparations as vague, demanding more concrete steps toward justice for the adoptees and their families.

(With inputs from agencies.)