South Korea is the world's largest "exporter" of adopted children, according to shocking information uncovered by the country's fact-finding commission.

The results of a Truth and Reconciliation Commission in South Korea were released earlier this week, supporting long-standing allegations of carelessness and corruption in the country's international adoption program.

Individuals adopted between 1964 and 1999 filed more than 360 petitions. 56 people were identified as victims of violations of human rights and neglect by the government in the first 100 cases that were analyzed. The inquiry is anticipated to be completed in May, having begun in 2022.

This is the first time the state has formally acknowledged such problems, and the commission has called on the government to apologize for violating adoptees' rights.

The Truth Commission's conclusions

More than 200,000 Korean children have been adopted since the Korean War ended (1950–1953). While some adoptees have accused their adoptive families of mistreating them, many have attempted to reestablish ties to their heritage.

The widespread "exportation" of children to meet global demand was brought to light by the commission. "The government supported intercountry adoption as a cost-effective alternative to strengthening domestic child welfare policies for almost 50 years after the Korean War," the commission said.

Apart from the apology, the commission has suggested that the government conduct a comprehensive analysis of the citizenship statuses of adoptees and find remedies for victims whose identities were changed.

Some adoptees and even a commission investigator have criticized the report for being "cautiously written," claiming that it could have more clearly established the government's involvement, according to the Associated Press.

What elements might have made these adoptions easier?

The complicated history of a country recovering from war while battling internal political instability is the basis for the widespread "export" of Korean adoptees to Western nations.

Before being divided, Korea was a traditional patriarchal society that was proud of its well-defined social roles and feudal hierarchies. Korean culture was based on the ideas of filial piety, which stressed the importance of younger generations showing respect for elders and having a male head of the household. Because bloodline preservation was considered important, adoptions were mainly restricted to the relocation of family members or people with the same last name (see “A Country Divided: Contextualizing Adoption from a Korean Perspective,” Dong Soo Kim, 2013).

A turning point in history, the Korean War led to the partition of the Korean peninsula into the Republic of Korea in the south and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) in the north. While North Korea received aid from China and Russia, 17 countries, including the United States, supported South Korea under UN auspices.

Changing social dynamics in the United States, such as falling birth and fertility rates, the legalization of abortion after the Roe v. Wade ruling, easier access to birth control, and an increase in single mothers, all contributed to the increase in adoptions during the 1970s ("Issues in Supply and Demand in Adoption," Thomas Nutt, 1974).

In 1976, South Korea enacted a policy to cut foreign adoptions by 20% annually in response to domestic criticism of the practice of "child exports." This program was short-lived, though, as the nation saw its highest number of international adoptions in 1985–86, when more than 8,800 children were sent overseas. This spike sparked a huge international outcry, which forced the government to outright forbid international adoptions and encourage domestic adoptions instead.

This transition may have been made easier by the country's move toward democracy; domestic adoptions have been steadily rising over time, despite the goal of capping international adoptions at 2,000 per year going mostly unfulfilled.