South Korea’s truth commission to probe foreign adoptions

By KIM TONG-HYUNG
Associated Press

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission will investigate the cases of dozens of South Korean adoptees in Europe and the United States who suspect their origins were falsified or obscured during a child export frenzy in the mid- to late-1900s. During that time, the country was ruled by a succession of military leaders who saw adoptions as a way to deepen ties with the democratic West while reducing the number of mouths to feed. The adoptees say they were wrongfully removed from their families through falsified documents and corrupt practices. Thursday’s decision opens what could be South Korea’s most far-reaching inquiry into foreign adoptions yet. The investigation will begin with the cases of 34 adoptees in the U.S. and Europe.