At hearing on adoption law, frustration and calls for change

By Shin Hae-in
SEOUL, Feb. 26 (Yonhap) — Local experts and adoptees expressed frustration Thursday at a public hearing on South Korea’s antiquated adoption law over the country’s lack of child protection programs and the slow pace of change.

Since the 1950s, South Korea has sent away the largest number of children for international adoption in the world, with over 150,000 Korean children ending up in 20 different Western countries, according to state data.

Despite its lengthy history with adoption, the country has yet to ratify a 1993 Hague Convention on child protection because its adoption law, established in 1969, does not meet several preconditions. The accord has been signed by some 73 countries. …

[Read the full article on Jane's blog.]