SEOUL, South Korea — Rebecca Kimmel found herself in a small room, overwhelmed and silent, as she gazed at a baby photo she had just discovered in her adoption records.
She felt an unsettling certainty; between the eyes and ears of the child in the photograph, she realized that this infant was not her. The narratives constructed around her life now seemed fabricated, leading her to grapple with the fundamental questions of who she was and what her true identity entailed.

Kimmel’s experience is shared by countless adoptees from South Korea who are on a quest for self-discovery, a journey that many people take for granted.
Like Kimmel, many have become ensnared in a complicated web of misplaced photographs, false narratives, and inaccurate documentation that obscures the identities they long to reclaim.
These individuals bear the weight of arrangements made between the South Korean government, foreign countries, and adoption agencies that have facilitated the overseas adoption of approximately 200,000 children. This has persisted despite numerous alerts regarding widespread fraud in the process.

While Kimmel’s own quest for self-identity continues, she has successfully facilitated a reunion between a birth father and his twin daughters, separated for many years.

For adoptees seeking to delve into their past, several steps can be taken:

First, they can initiate searches for their birth families by requesting information from their adoption agencies. If this does not yield satisfactory results, the next step could be reaching out to the National Center for the Rights of the Child in South Korea.
However, these birth searches can be lengthy and are not guaranteed to succeed. Since 2012, only around 15% of 15,000 adoptees who sought governmental assistance in searching for family have managed to reunite with relatives, as revealed by recent data.
Many searches falter due to incorrect records or the frequent practice of labeling children as abandoned, even when their parents were known.

Adoptees voice concerns regarding the consent process for reunions. Currently, agencies can communicate with birth parents regarding consent only through traditional mail, limited to three attempts for each inquiry about sharing personal information with adoptees or arranging meetings. Privacy regulations further restrict access to birth parent contact details. Nonetheless, adoptees may uncover more comprehensive background information in their Korean-language documents than in the translated versions sent to adoptive parents abroad. If initial searches yield no results, adoptees have the option to request additional searches after a year.

If connections to birth parents remain elusive, the NCRC may advise adoptees to register their DNA with South Korean police or diplomatic services, or assist them in sharing their experiences through South Korean media outlets.

In recent years, the trend of using DNA testing has gained traction among Korean adoptees frustrated by the limitations of traditional search methods. Adoptees can submit their DNA either at a South Korean embassy or consulate in their current country or through local police stations during visits to South Korea.

Given that DNA testing is not widely utilized in South Korea, success hinges on whether birth families are also seeking to locate the adoptees via similar methods. Once DNA samples are collected, they are compared against the nation’s DNA database for missing persons. If matches occur, the NCRC steps in to facilitate reunions.

Adoptees have also found their birth relatives through commercially available DNA tests that are popular in other parts of the world. Organizations like 325 Kamra support the reunification of South Korean adoptees and their biological families by enabling adoptees to upload their test results to a dedicated database or by providing testing kits.

Additionally, there are several Facebook communities—some public, others private—where adoptees share their experiences and discuss interactions with adoption agencies.
Among the most vibrant of these communities is a group operated by Banet, a volunteer organization that concentrates on aiding adoptees in searches for their birth families, connecting them with governmental and police resources, and facilitating translations during reunions with Korean relatives.

There are also platforms tailored to specific agencies, such as Paperslip, which focuses on connecting adoptees placed through Korea Social Service for family searches and document requests.
The nonprofit organization Global Overseas Adoptees’ Link, based in Seoul, provides support for adoptees including birth family searches, language education, social events, and visa assistance for employment in South Korea. Another organization, KoRoot, also plays an important role in aiding adoptees in their search for familial connections and contextual backgrounds while running various advocacy initiatives.