The South Korean government has announced plans to gradually stop international adoptions, aiming for zero cases by 2029.
The Korean government announced the Third Basic Plan for Child
Policy (2025-2029) on December 26, 2025. This plan, established every five
years under the Child Welfare Act, serves as a comprehensive government
initiative to guarantee children's rights and enhance their welfare, guiding
governmental child policies since 2015. President Lee Jae-myung previously
stated in October that South Korea once carried the shameful label of a
"child exporting country" and promised that the country would provide
a strong support system for adoptees.
Since July, the government has been shifting the adoption
system—previously centered around private agencies—toward 'state
responsibility' by introducing a 'public adoption system' managed by the state
and local governments. Moving forward, the government has decided to phase out
international adoptions (sending children to other countries) by 2029. Lee Seu-ran,
the first vice minister of the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW), stated
during a briefing that day, 'We aim to halt [international adoptions] within
two to three years. We expect that by 2029 at the latest, the number of
international adoptions will reach zero.'
International adoptions, which stood at around 2,000 in
2005, gradually decreased, with 232 children adopted abroad in 2020, 142 in
2022, 58 last year, and 24 this year. Vice Minister Lee emphasized, 'The 24
cases of [international adoption] this year occurred before the reorganization
of the public adoption system. Since then, there have been no further cases of
international adoption.
The government has decided to prioritize the protection of
children in need within the domestic system, such as through domestic adoption,
to the greatest extent possible. In cases where international adoption is
unavoidable, the MOHW will act as the central authority, directly consulting
with foreign central authorities and relevant agencies to manage the process.
Yoon Jang-yeol, head of the Adoption System Reform Team at the Ministry,
explained, 'By "unavoidable reasons," we refer to circumstances where
experts determine that international adoption would be better for the child
than any form of domestic protection. However, we have yet to see such a case
firsthand.' This is interpreted to mean that while it is difficult to find
situations where international adoption is superior, the government will leave
a window open to prepare for unforeseen circumstances.
[Steve Morrison's Comments]: The statement 'By "unavoidable reasons," we refer to circumstances where experts determine that international adoption would be better for the child than any form of domestic protection. However, we have yet to see such a case firsthand.' This is such a distorted view of how bad intercountry adoption is viewd in Korea due to much negative coverages on the media for the last decade. The real truth is that in general, the children that have been adopted abroad fared so much better than the children that grew up in institutions in Korea. For a child, being cared by a family, whether in Korea or abroad, is so much better alternative than for a child without a family. There are far greater number of adoptees that are happy about their adoptions than unhappy ones. It's just that the happy ones don't make noise. This is the reason why the statement 'we have yet to see such a case firsthand' is such an unfortunate statement.
The foster care system, where children in need of protection
live with a family for a set period, will transition from the current municipal
(Si/Gun/Gu) management system to a national management system. The goal is to
manage this at the national level and provide financial support to address
current issues under local government management, such as difficulties in
securing budgets and significant regional disparities. Furthermore, support for
foster families will be expanded, and administrative burdens beyond parenting
checks will be eased. The 'specialized foster care system'—which places
children requiring special care, such as victims of abuse, infants, or those
with disabilities, with families possessing specific qualifications like social
workers—will also expand its pool of participating families.
In response to concerns that it is currently difficult to
recruit foster and specialized foster families, Vice Minister Lee explained,
'It is true that finding (specialized) foster homes is challenging. However,
once we transition to a national system, the regional barriers created by
individual municipalities recruiting separately will be removed. By
centralizing the recruitment of foster families at the national level, we can
efficiently match children with families across the entire country.'
The legal authority of foster parents required for daily
child-rearing—such as school enrollment or transfers, hospital treatment, and
opening bank accounts or mobile phone lines—will be strengthened. Institutional
support for convenience and care will also be expanded, including granting
multi-child benefits to foster families. Furthermore, the government will
support 'original family reunification programs' to ensure children maintain
ties with their biological parents and can eventually return home.
The system for early detection of children at risk,
including abused children, will be strengthened using AI-driven predictive
models. For children and families who do not meet the legal threshold for abuse
but still require assistance, the government will expand the scope of
preventive support, including childcare costs, medical expenses, and essential
supplies. To prevent re-abuse, home-visit family recovery programs will be
provided to help victimized families improve their environment, and medical
expense support will be offered to aid the children's recovery. Furthermore,
the government will pursue in-depth analysis of suspected child abuse deaths
and is considering the long-term introduction of a 'Child Death Review' system
to examine the causes of all child fatalities.
Another article link: https://www.koreaherald.com/article/10644273
