More than 140,000 children were sent overseas by South Korea following the 1950-53 Korean War. The government will end outsourcing adoptions to private agencies after an investigation revealed violations of adoptee rights. A new public adoption system will hold the state responsible for the adoption process. A commission identified irregularities in international adoption, including fraudulent registrations and inadequate vetting of parents. Key procedures will now be overseen by a ministry committee, emphasizing the best interests of the child.
South Korea is set to end the decades-old practice of outsourcing adoptions to private agencies, after an investigation concluded the government's foreign adoption programme violated adoptee rights.
The new change is a significant step towards ensuring the safety and promoting the rights of adopted children, with the state now taking full responsibility for the entire adoption process.
Under the new system, key procedures such as assessing prospective adoptive parents and matching them with children will be deliberated by a ministry committee, focusing on the child's best interests.
The commission blamed the government for the issues, particularly a failure to regulate adoption fees, which turned the industry into a profit-driven one.
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