Australia | United States Korean Rights Group – Korean Adoptee Rights Advocacy

Australia – United States Korean Rights Group

Strengthening Korean adoptee communities by sharing resources and advocating for equal human rights.

What we Do

On December 9, 2022, the AUSKRG (Australia – United States Korean Rights Group) submitted an application to South Korea’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission, accompanied by multiple individual cases. The AUSKRG joins the Danish Korean Rights Group’s (DKRG) spearheading efforts to have Korea’s overseas adoption system investigated by the Commission for suspected irregularities and human rights violations.

On June 8, 2023, AUSKRG cases were added to the Commission’s investigation, which now encompasses all four Korean adoption agencies (Holt, Korea Social Service, Eastern Social Welfare Society, & Social Welfare Society). The AUSKRG has strong reasons to suspect that Eastern, a private agency authorized by the Korean government to facilitate adoptions, has engaged in unethical practices which have significantly impacted many members of our group. These include, but are not limited to:

Being falsely identified as orphans on official documents despite having living parents.
Being sent overseas with the identity and paperwork of another child, later resulting in incorrect family reunions.
Discovering that our Korean families were deceived by Eastern and/or did not provide consent for the adoption.

The AUSKRG collects and shares resources within adoptee communities and supports the Commission’s investigation.

Get Involved

By uniting our voices and taking collective action, we can create positive change and ensure a brighter future for adoptees and their families.

SIGN THE PETITION

ASSIST WITH TRANSLATION

Join us in protecting human rights for all adoptees and their families. Your signature on this petition is a powerful step towards justice and safeguarding human rights.

Share the petition and raise awareness in your community. Together, let’s make a lasting impact and create a brighter future for adoptees worldwide. Sign the petition at change.org/AdopteeKoreanTruth.

We are seeking the support of Korean-English interpreters and translators who are willing to volunteer their time.

If you or anyone you know can provide assistance in this capacity, please connect with us. Together, we can bridge language barriers and strengthen our efforts towards justice and accountability.

SHARE YOUR STORY

SHARE INFO ABOUT EASTERN

If you were adopted through Eastern Social Welfare Society and have a compelling story or perspective to share about your adoption, we invite you to get in touch with us.

Additionally, if you have noticed inconsistencies or other issues in your adoption files or paperwork, we are here to support you. Your voice matters, and together we can raise awareness and shed light on the experiences of Korean adoptees.

Help us uncover the history of Eastern Social Welfare Society. If you have any information, resources, or materials such as newspaper articles, academic studies, or organizational reports that shed light on Eastern’s practices and history, we urge you to send them our way.

By sharing these resources, you can help us better understand Eastern’s practices and contribute to the collective efforts in seeking truth and justice. Together, we can uncover the truth and advocate for Eastern to be held accountable for any problematic practices.

Please note: The application period for Korea’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission closed on 9 December 2022. At this stage, they will not be accepting any further cases.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the TRC?

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission is a government-established body in Korea investigating human rights violations and historical events from 1910 to 1993. It investigates a wide range of issues including violations during the Japanese occupation, North Korean refugee status, and various human rights concerns. One area of focus for the TRC is human rights violations during the Korean military dictatorship from the end of the Korean War until 1993.

How is the TRC’s work related to adoption?

International adoptions were historically used as a means of ethnic cleansing, targeting mixed-ethnic children, disabled individuals, children of unmarried mothers, and political dissidents.

Can more adoptees submit cases to the TRC?

No, the deadline for submitting cases was 9 December 2022. If you would like to speak with us about irregularities or violations in your adoption process, please contact us.

What is the scope of the investigation?

Three adoptee rights groups, including the AUSKRG, have filed a total of nearly 400 cases, highlighting 56 recurring patterns of human rights violations. These individual cases are indicative of widespread, systematic issues in Korea’s overseas adoption system.

What is the status of the investigation?

The TRC has initiated investigations into 271 of the total claims submitted. The Commission’s inquiry involves adoptees from 11 countries through Holt, Social Welfare Service, Korean Social Services (KSS) and Eastern Social Welfare Society adoption agencies.

The Commission, which is reviewing the applications in the order they were submitted, is likely to investigate the remaining 101 cases too, according to officials.

What do we hope to achieve?

AUSKRG would like a full scale investigation of international adoption cases from Eastern and the role of the Korean government during the authoritarian period. In addition to accountability for human rights violations, we hope to achieve the following:

Access to adoptees’ original documents and the release of Eastern’s records in their totality to the National Center for the Rights of the Child (NCRC)
Government and public recognition of all four adoption agencies’ practices and the role of the State during the authoritarian period
Establishment of an adoptee-owned and led services center in Seoul

AUSKRG will continue to work with our partner organizations to address systemic issues within the adoption industry and support those who are advocating for change.