S Korea acknowledges that past adoptions constituted 'forced child trafficking'
Justice Minister Jung Sung-ho spoke in harsh terms to describe adoptions from South Korea in the 1970s and 1980s that were marked by serious irregularities. The government announced steps to facilitate compensation, stating that it will waive appeals in proceedings initiated by victims, although delays remain.
Gwacheon (AsiaNews/Agencies) – South Korea is set to face one of the most controversial chapters in its recent history, that of international adoptions, which, according to Justice Minister Jung Sung-ho, constituted in many cases “forced child trafficking”.
These are unusually strong words from a senior official, who has pledged to expand access to legal remedies for victims of state abuses under the country’s former military dictatorships.
Hundreds of people originally from South Korea and adopted in Europe and the United States have already asked for their cases to be examined by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which was renewed last February after the expiration of its previous mandate.
The commission concluded that the South Korean government was responsible for an adoption system riddled with fraud and irregularities, partly to reduce costs and managed by state-authorised private agencies that systematically tampered with children's origins.
Many adoptees now hope these findings will form the basis for compensation claims.
In the past, victims of abuse recognised by the commission found themselves embroiled in lengthy legal battles after the state filed appeals, invoking the statute of limitations or questioning the evidentiary value of the investigations.
Jung, a close ally of President Lee Jae Myung, who issued an official apology for the irregular adoptions in October, has promised a change of direction.
The government is now willing to expedite compensation for cases verified by the commission and expand legal protections.
A new law that went into effect in February gives victims three years to file civil lawsuits even beyond the statute of limitations, and the Ministry of Justice has announced it will waive the use of these time limits in over 800 cases.
“Once the truth commission firmly establishes the basic facts (regarding the abuses), we intend to cooperate to ensure the process moves swiftly,” Jung said.
However, some adoptees – like Yooree Kim, who was sent to a French family in 1984 without the consent of her biological parents – have requested compensation under the law. According to their lawyers, the ministry has failed to respond to their requests in six months, despite a four-week deadline.
Jung promised to address the delays, although he currently rules out the creation of a separate mechanism to expedite payments.
Between the 1970s and the early 2000s, South Korea sent approximately 200,000 children abroad, peaking in the 1980s with over 6,000 adoptions per year.
At the time, the country was ruled by military regimes that viewed population growth as a threat to economic development and used adoptions to reduce the number of people to be supported.
Minister Jung addressed other human rights issues as well, including human trafficking and forced labour, particularly in salt mines and other sectors where abused migrant workers are employed.
These issues returned to the forefront internationally, in the wake of investigations by the United States against countries accused of failing to adequately address forced labour cases.
Washington blocked imports from a large South Korean salt mine where people reportedly worked in slave-like conditions.
Jung promised to intensify efforts to "uproot" trafficking and exploitation, directing prosecutors to seek harsher penalties and tightening controls on companies employing foreign workers.
“We cannot monitor every corner of the private sector, but I think we are capable of supervising these matters more thoroughly than almost any other country,” he explained.
Photo: Kitreel/Shutterstock
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