South Korea has declared it will completely end the foreign adoption of its children, following intense scrutiny from United Nations investigators over decades of systemic fraud and human rights abuses. The government announced on Friday, 26 December 2025, that it will phase out the dwindling practice over a five-year period, aiming to reach zero international placements by 2029 at the latest.
UN Pressure and a Legacy of Abuse
The decision came just hours after Seoul submitted its official response to the UN human rights office. UN special rapporteurs had criticised the country's failure to ensure truth-finding and reparations for widespread violations linked to its mass overseas adoption programme. Investigators expressed "serious concern" over the suspension of a government fact-finding probe and the lack of effective remedies for adoptees.
Vice Minister of Health and Welfare, Lee Seuran, stated that the transition would coincide with tightened welfare policies for children in need of care. She acknowledged that while private adoption agencies in the past may have prioritised a child's best interests, "there may have also been other competing interests." The system is now being restructured into a public framework, with the government taking a larger role.
From Thousands to Dozens: The Sharp Decline
The scale of South Korea's foreign adoption programme has plummeted in recent decades. In 2025, the country approved foreign adoptions for just 24 children. This is a stark drop from around 2,000 in 2005 and an annual average exceeding 6,000 during the 1980s boom. At its peak, the programme saw over 200,000 Korean children sent to Western nations, often driven by government efforts to reduce welfare costs and enabled by private agencies.
UN investigators highlighted the case of Yooree Kim, 52, who was sent to a French family in 1984 without her biological parents' consent. Her documents falsely described her as an abandoned orphan. Ms Kim endured severe physical and sexual abuse by her adopters and petitioned the UN to seek accountability from South Korean and French authorities.
A "Perfunctory" Response and the Fight for Justice
In its response to the UN, South Korea pointed to past reforms, including a 2011 law that reinstated judicial oversight and caused a significant drop in international placements. However, the government said further investigations and reparations for victims would depend on future legislation. It offered no new measures to address the vast backlog of inaccurate or falsified records that prevent many adoptees from reconnecting with birth families.
Human rights lawyer Choi Jung Kyu, who represents Ms Kim, labelled South Korea's response as "perfunctory." He noted that promises of stronger reparations are not clearly defined in draft bills. The government also vetoed a bill in April 2025 that would have removed the statute of limitations for state-related human rights violations, though this was before President Lee Jae Myung took office in June.
The national Truth and Reconciliation Commission, before halting its adoption investigation due to internal disputes, recognised Ms Kim and 55 other adoptees as victims of rights violations in March 2025. Its findings acknowledged state responsibility for a programme rife with fraud, where children's backgrounds were routinely manipulated. The fate of 311 other deferred cases now rests on whether lawmakers establish a new commission.
