Adoptee Voice: Jennifer Kwon Dobbs

On June 26, PEAR published a link to an article written by Jennifer Kwon Dobbs entitled "Ending South Korea's Child Export Shame", http://pear-now.blogspot.com/2011/06/article-ending-south-koreas-child.html. Today we wish to share a video of Jennifer that was put together and published on the blog Land of Gazillion Adoptees, Birth Searches as Public Pedagogy http://landofgazillionadoptees.wordpress.com/2011/06/28/%E2%80%9Cbirth-searches-as-public-pedagogy%E2%80%9D-unedited-voices-of-adoption-featuring-jennifer-kwon-dobbs/

The video is quite powerful. We recommend that adoptive and prosepctive adoptive parents not only view the video, but examine the circumstances surrounding the availability of children for adoption. Educate yourselves on where and why a child becomes available for adoption, what role we as adoptive parents play and what steps we can take to ensure that our desires for a family do not unwittingly (or purposefully) perpetuate political, cultural or religous injustices that separate families.

In addition to examining the reasons behind relinquishments, please keep in your heart your child's need to know their full story. Do not underestimate the powerful need for this. Be careful and mindful of processes that may deny access to identity, history or heritage.

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Ethics, Transparency, Support
~ What All Adoptions Deserve.
http://www.pear-now.org/

Article: Ending South Korea's Child Export Shame

Ending South Korea's Child Export Shame

By Jennifer Kwon Dobbs, June 23, 2011

South Korea is on the verge of changing its reputation as the world’s leading baby exporter to a world leader in grassroots adoption reform. The first-ever birth mother, unwed mother, and adoptee co-authored bill is moving toward a National Assembly vote with government sponsorship.

Under current South Korean law, prospective adoptive parents don’t need to undergo criminal background checks. Moreover, agencies counsel unwed mothers, whose children comprise almost 90 percent of adoption placements, to sign illegal paperwork consenting to adoption even though their children are still in their wombs. The new bill proposes urgent revisions to change these realities and stipulates a court process for adoption, a cooling off period for child surrender without duress, and the documentation of identities, among other provisions.

"What makes this reform effort distinctive is that [it] is neither the result of a top-down process nor a powerful adoptive parent lobby,” says tammy ko Robinson, coalition member and professor at Hangyang University. “This bill is co-authored and informed by those of us who have been directly affected by this law.” The bill is a coalition effort that includes Adoptee Solidarity Korea (ASK), Korean Unwed Mothers and Families Association (KUMFA), and several other groups.

"[The revision of the special adoption law] is an opportunity for South Korea to fully enter the 21st century as not just an economically developed nation, but as a socially developed one," says ASK representative Kim Stoker. “It's time for the government to end its outdated attitude toward international adoption and make concrete steps toward protecting the rights of its children and the mothers who give birth to them.”

full article: http://www.fpif.org/articles/ending_south_koreas_child_export_shame

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Ethics, Transparency, Support
~ What All Adoptions Deserve.
http://www.pear-now.org/

SYMPOSIUM: Korean-American Academics to Throw Light on Adoption

Korean-American Academics to Throw Light on Adoption

Korean-born academics who were adopted by Americans will attend a symposium titled "From Global to Glocal: The Future of American Studies" by the American Studies Association of Korea at Seoul National University to discuss adoption, still something of a taboo subject in Korea.

In a session titled "Korean Adoptee" on Friday, Eleana Kim (University of Rochester) will give a talk under the heading "Beyond Motherlands and Mother Love: Figuring Korean Adoptees in Global Korea," and Kim Park Nelson (Minnesota State University) under the heading "Uri Nara, Our Country: Global and Translocal Communities of Korean American Adoptees." They will describe how, based on their own experience, foreign adoptees who return to their motherland experience identity transformations through their new daily life.

ASAK president Kim Seong-kon said adoption, along with globalization, diaspora and immigration, has emerged as key topics in the culture review and theory field for the last three or four years.

The ASAK is a nationwide academic society whose members include American specialists in politics, economics, history, and culture

http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2008/10/21/2008102161013.html

Ethics, Transparency, Support~
What All Adoptions Deserve.
http://www.pear-now.org/

Alert: Korea intends to halt International Adoption at the end of 2012

PEAR urges prospective adoptive parents considering Korea at this time to inquire to their agency or possible agency about how the closing of the international adoption process will work and how this will effect non-special needs referrals and special needs referrals from now until closing.

PEAR urges all agencies to clarify on their websites the current situation and how the process of closing the country will affect prospective adoptive parents.

The Department of State has updated their website
http://adoption.state.gov/country/south%20korea.html
"Please Note: U.S. citizens who are considering adoption in the Republic of Korea (South Korea) should be aware that the Korean government has expressed its intent to eliminate the need for intercountry adoption of Korean orphans by 2012 by encouraging domestic adoption of all Korean orphans. According to some estimates, wait times for American citizens to complete a newly initiated adoption in Korea could be as much as three years. Prospective adoptive parents should consult carefully with their adoption service provider in light of current Korean adoption processing times and the Republic of Korea’s intention to end inter-country adoption by 2012.Updated: September 2009"

Rainbow kids article dated August 1, 2009 http://www.rainbowkids.com/ArticleDetails.aspx?id=664 indicates a slow closing of Korea.

Children’s Home Society and Family Services disputes the full closing and discusses special needs adoptions at the September 1, 2009 article also at Rainbow Kids http://www.rainbowkids.com/ArticleDetails.aspx?id=668.

Adopt Korea.com offers this information under its Choosing Korea tab “Korean culture and its emphasis on blood ties and family name have continued to be a difficult obstacle to reaching that goal. That's why, in a major push to encourage domestic adoption within Korea, the Korean government has approved several initiatives for 2007. Although this is welcome news, these initiatives will have a significant impact on Korea's entire international adoption program. You'll want to speak with your agency about these changes and their impact on specific agency programs.”

Welcome House (Pearl S. Buck International) has stated on their website the following: “Welcome House received a recent communication from President Min, the head of Holt Children's Services in Korea, reiterating the Korean Ministry's commitment to increase domestic adoption and to stop inter-country adoption. The current federal Ministry in Korea will leave office in 2013, and we have received confirmation from Holt and from Holt affiliates in the United States, that Korea will officially close to international adoption at the end of 2012.

For any new families interested in adopting from Korea through Welcome House Adoption Program, we have closed the wait list for the Korea program to any new face sheets of application, except for families who are applying to adopt a waiting child with significant special needs. Please visit our waiting child page for more information. Thank you for your interest”

Holt International’s website does not indicate the 2012 closing, but has already limited applications to Holt Korea alumni families, Korean-American families (including Holt Korean adoptees), and families open to children with special needs since October 1, 2008.

As of September 16, 2009, the following agencies do not mention the closing in 2012 or limiting applications for healthy children on their websites:

AAC Adoption and Family Network
Adoption Advocates, Inc
Adoption Planning
Americans for International Aid & Adoption
Barker Foundation
Bethany Christian Services
Carolina Adoption Services
Catholic Social Services of Philadelphia
Children’s Home Society and Family Services (CHSFS)
Connecticut Adoption and Family Services
Dillon International
Family & Children’s Agency
Heaven’s Sent Children
Kentucky Adoption Services
Lifelink Child & Family Services
Love the Children
Lutheran Social Services TX
Spence Chapin
The Cradle
WACAP
Wide Horizons

As of September 16, 2009, the following agencies mention limiting applications or putting the program on hold without explaining the reasoning or 2012 closing:

ABC Adoption
Florida Homestudies and Adoption
New Beginnings
Rainbow House


Ethics, Transparency, Support
~ What All Adoptions Deserve.
http://www.pear-now.org/

9/23/09: Title of post corrected from Korea will officially halt International Adoption at 2012 to Korea intends to halt International Adoption at the end of 2012. DOS link and notice added