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Korean Transnational Adoption 
A brief history, its effects and
implications
Juli Simenson
Historical Trauma and Healing
Iwant to rid our world of hyphenated
and competing identitiesI feel myself
confined by the term Asian American
because I feel as if my story is still not a
readily recognized piece of that Asian
American storyI am SCREAMING out
loud in hopes that someone will hear me
and we can collaborate together and find
new words and new ways.
- Rebecca J. Kinney, Korean-American
adoptee, Asian America
Events leading to dispersal
 Japanese Occupation 1910  1945
o Genocide
 Divided after Japanese rule ended into two
countries by the 38th parallel - 1948
o South Korea  The United States
o North Korea  Soviet Union
Korean War
 1950  1953
 By the end, 215 institutions housed 24,945
children
 10,000 children of mixed ethnicities had been
abandoned for numerous reasons
 No established infrastructure or social welfare
system existed
As always in times of war, women fall to the lot of
conquerors, and the Korean War did not turn out to
be an exception to this rule. Not surprisingly, a
sexual exploitation of Korean women took place on a
mass scale during the war.  Tobias Hubinette,
Korean Adoption History
Korean adoption
 1954  the exportation of Korean babies
began in earnest
 1961  Orphan Adoption Special Law and The
Child Welfare Act
 Established legal framework for the speediest
adoption process known at the time
 Adoption flourished
Statistics of placements
 United States 1953  2013
 114,665
 France 1953  2004
 11,090
 Sweden 1953  2004
 8,953
 Denmark 1965  2004
 8,571
 Norway 1955  2004
 6,080
How is this historical trauma?
 Disruption of narrative
 Transnational adoption is an exploitive
practice
 Perpetuates the underlying colonial ideology
that is the adhesive of transnational
adoption
Matters of Identity
 Absence of language and culture
 No emotional connection to birth relatives
 Assimilation through white washing
 Parents who cannot and do not fully
understand the experiences of their childs
racial group
 Confusion about personal identity
 Not seen as Korean in the eyes of native
Koreans
Connecting and Organizing
How are KADs healing?
 By taking control of their own narratives
 Film, poetry, music, literature
Where do you stand?
 Build awareness about where unethical
practices of adoption may be occurring
 If you want to be an adoptive parent,
consider adopting domestically or fostering
children in the US
 As social workers, what role are we to take?
Why is this important?
 This is still happening
 China, Ethiopia, Russia, Guatemala
 A matter of human rights and dignity
 Best interests of the children involved are often
dismissed
 Invisibility of the mental health issues
 Depression, anxiety, suicide
SIMENSONHistoricalFinal

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SIMENSONHistoricalFinal

  • 1. Korean Transnational Adoption A brief history, its effects and implications Juli Simenson Historical Trauma and Healing
  • 2. Iwant to rid our world of hyphenated and competing identitiesI feel myself confined by the term Asian American because I feel as if my story is still not a readily recognized piece of that Asian American storyI am SCREAMING out loud in hopes that someone will hear me and we can collaborate together and find new words and new ways. - Rebecca J. Kinney, Korean-American adoptee, Asian America
  • 3. Events leading to dispersal Japanese Occupation 1910 1945 o Genocide Divided after Japanese rule ended into two countries by the 38th parallel - 1948 o South Korea The United States o North Korea Soviet Union
  • 4. Korean War 1950 1953 By the end, 215 institutions housed 24,945 children 10,000 children of mixed ethnicities had been abandoned for numerous reasons No established infrastructure or social welfare system existed
  • 5. As always in times of war, women fall to the lot of conquerors, and the Korean War did not turn out to be an exception to this rule. Not surprisingly, a sexual exploitation of Korean women took place on a mass scale during the war. Tobias Hubinette, Korean Adoption History
  • 6. Korean adoption 1954 the exportation of Korean babies began in earnest 1961 Orphan Adoption Special Law and The Child Welfare Act Established legal framework for the speediest adoption process known at the time Adoption flourished
  • 7. Statistics of placements United States 1953 2013 114,665 France 1953 2004 11,090 Sweden 1953 2004 8,953 Denmark 1965 2004 8,571 Norway 1955 2004 6,080
  • 8. How is this historical trauma? Disruption of narrative Transnational adoption is an exploitive practice Perpetuates the underlying colonial ideology that is the adhesive of transnational adoption
  • 9. Matters of Identity Absence of language and culture No emotional connection to birth relatives Assimilation through white washing Parents who cannot and do not fully understand the experiences of their childs racial group Confusion about personal identity Not seen as Korean in the eyes of native Koreans
  • 11. How are KADs healing? By taking control of their own narratives Film, poetry, music, literature
  • 12. Where do you stand? Build awareness about where unethical practices of adoption may be occurring If you want to be an adoptive parent, consider adopting domestically or fostering children in the US As social workers, what role are we to take?
  • 13. Why is this important? This is still happening China, Ethiopia, Russia, Guatemala A matter of human rights and dignity Best interests of the children involved are often dismissed Invisibility of the mental health issues Depression, anxiety, suicide