Contact Info For The 4 Major Korean Adoption Agencies + Adoptee Facebook Groups.

Please note that prior to 1976, Korean Adoption was a bit like the Wild West. There were many agencies and orphanages, “baby brokers”, private adoptions, Western foreigners visiting Korea and willy-nilly taking children back home with them, etc. Starting in 1976, the Korean government designated just 4 “indigenous” Korean Adoption Agencies to process International Adoptions to the West - these Korean Adoption Agencies are listed below. All 4 Korean Adoption Agencies remain operational in Korea and have Post Adoption Services for Adoptees - please note that KSS (Korea Social Service) no longer processes adoptions (they processed adoptions 1964-2012) but they still have one remaining Post Adoption Services building (at least for now as of June 2024 - please see KSS Adoptees Should Request Their Files NOW if you are a KSS Adoptee).

What many Korean Adoptees don’t know is that often a Korean Adoption Agency partnered with a Western (US, European, Canadian, or Australian) Adoption Agency. It is usually best to initiate a birth family search through the KOREAN Adoption Agency. Please note that wait times can be long as the Korean Adoption Agencies are deliberately understaffed, though most have English speaking staff.

HOLT specifically split into Holt KOREA and Holt INTERNATIONAL in 1976 in order to remain “indigenously run” by Koreans when the Korean government mandated that all Korean Adoption Agencies be run by Koreans. Holt’s favorite game is to take advantage of Adoptees’ confusion and ping-pong Adoptees back and forth between the two Holts. Please know you should start a birth family search with Holt KOREA.

The 4 major KOREAN Adoption Agencies as of 1976 were:

1. HOLT Korea (not to be confused with Holt International, which is the Western Holt Adoption Agency)

2. Eastern Social Welfare Society (ESWS) - formerly Eastern Child Welfare Society (ECWS)

3. Social Welfare Society (SWS) / now Korea Welfare Society (KWS). *Please note that if your adoption was through International Social Service (ISS) or Child Placement Service (CPS) then KWS may have possesion of your files.

4. Korea Social Service (KSS)

*If you are a KSS (Korea Social Service) Adoptee, do yourself a favor and contact us at Paperslip BEFORE you contact KSS. We advise KSS Adoptees for FREE and we can potentially save you YEARS of WASTED TIME! Email us: paperslipadoptee@gmail.com

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The 4 major KOREAN Adoption Agencies are below.
Please see the “Post Adoption Services” pages on the agencies’ respective website:

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*Please note that CONTACT INFORMATION for each of the major Korean Adoption Agencies can be found here:

https://www.paperslip.org/birth-family-search-tips-for-all-korean-adoptees

*If you are a KSS (Korea Social Service) Adoptee, do yourself a favor and contact us at Paperslip BEFORE you contact KSS. We advise KSS Adoptees for FREE and we can potentially save you YEARS of WASTED TIME! Email us: paperslipadoptee@gmail.com

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Korean Adoptee Facebook forums by Korean Adoption Agency:

You must be a Korean Adoptee to join these forums. Please be sure to answer the membership questions when requesting to join.

1. Holt forum:

Adult Adoptees of Holt:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/holtadultadoptees

2. Eastern Social Welfare Society (ESWS) - formerly Eastern Child Welfare Society (ECWS):

I am an adoptee from Eastern Social Welfare Society:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/6316917388

3. Korea Welfare Society (KWS) / formerly Social Welfare Society (SWS) Forum - *Please note if you were CPS (Child Placement Services) or ISS (International Social Services) that KWS may now have your files:

Korean Adoptees of Korea Welfare Services (Social Welfare Services):

https://www.facebook.com/groups/koreanadopteesofsocialwelfaresociety

4. Korea Social Service (KSS) Forum:

KSS Cribmates:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1472813756273368

(PRIVATE forum for KSS Adoptees adopted to the US, Netherlands, Denmark, and Switzerland)

Korea Social Service (KSS) Adoptees Searching For Birth Family - 한국사회봉사회 :

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1162969844292153

(PUBLIC forum for KSS Adoptees seeking birth family)