Recently many foreigners asked me if it is true that Korean government banned adoptions by foreign adopters.  I think this rumor came out after the chief of Ministry of Health, Welfare and Family Affairs had said “it should be sough after revitalization of domestic adoption”.  The background of the chief’s comment was a recent homicide case where a U. S. adopters in Iowa killed 4 Korean adoptees.  The adoption agencies misunderstood it as Korean government would ban foreign adoption.  But constraining foreign adoptions and revitalizing domestic adoptions has been a long-time governmental policy ever since late 90’s-it is nothing new.

There has been no official changes on current regulations on foreign adoptions by Korean government.  Moreover, the private adoption, not an institutional adoption, is regulated by the Civil Act and it has nothing to do with adoption agencies and Ministry of Health.  The Act requires only a “report” not an approval from the government to make private adoption effective in Korea.  Surely the Act does not discriminate foreigners form Koreans in becoming adoptive parents.

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© 2008 Wonil Chung, a Korean licensed lawyer/Chung & Partners, a Korean full service law firm.  All rights reserved.