Holt International Issues Last Minute Notice About The Transfer Of *Holt Children's Services Inc. in Korea (Holt KOREA) Files To NCRC.
Holt International WILL Still Be Accepting Requests For Your US / Western Adoption File.
*Update - March 2025:
Please see the page below for the IMPORTANT NOTICE by Holt Children's Services Inc. in Korea (Holt KOREA) from early March 2025:
IMPORTANT NOTICE from Holt Children's Services Inc. in Korea (Holt KOREA) - From Early March 2025.
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*IT IS IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT THERE ARE TWO Separate HOLT Adoption Agencies!
*Please note that Holt International is different than Holt Children's Services Inc. in Korea (Holt KOREA):
Holt International is the US / Western Adoption Agency.
Holt Children's Services Inc. in Korea (Holt KOREA) is the Korean Adoption Agency.
*ALL KOREAN Adoption Agency files move to the Korean Government Agency NCRC on
July 19th, 2025.
In this case, Holt Children's Services Inc. in Korea (Holt KOREA) is the KOREAN Adoption Agency.
Presumably Holt International will maintain its own files.
However, we are not privy to the inner working of the two Holts: Holt International and Holt Children's Services Inc. in Korea (Holt KOREA).
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Posted to Paperslip - March 8th, 2025
In an email sent to HOLT Adoptees on March 7th, 2025, HOLT gave a LAST MINUTE “Notice” to Adoptees about the transfer of ALL Korean Adoption Agency files to NCRC.
Below is the text of Holt’s email. We have highlighted in RED the most important information:
“Adult Adoptee News
March 2025
In July, the provision of all adoption-related services in South Korea will transition from private adoption agencies like Holt Korea Children’s Services to South Korea's central adoption authority, the National Center for the Rights of the Child (NCRC). At that time, Holt Korea Children’s Services will no longer be allowed by Korean law to provide adoptive families or adult adoptees with post adoption services, including birth search assessment or adoption file copies. To learn more about the NCRC, visit www.ncrc.or.kr”
Paperslip Note - the website which Holt links above is NCRC’s KOREAN website, but NCRC also has an ENGLISH website (which did not notify Korean Adoptees about important changes related to the movement of ALL Korean Adoption Agency files to NCRC). Also, it’s highly likely - though not confirmed - that following July 19th, 2025, Adoptees’ birth family search requests will have to go through the KAS / Korea Adoption Services website. Please monitor this page on Paperslip for more information as it becomes available - IMPORTANT! New Changes Coming To NCRC in 2025 - Including NEW Address!
Holt continues:
”In preparation for the upcoming July transition:
Please read this important information below - we have just been informed of these upcoming changes and deadlines.”
Paperslip Note - The likelihood that Holt has “just been informed” about these major changes is exactly ZERO. Of course Holt has known about this upcoming change for at least a year, probably more. They just decided to tell Adoptees about this less than one month prior to their deadline.
Holt continues:
• “Holt International in Eugene, Oregon requests that adoptees submit any requests to initiate a birth search or to receive a copy of their Korean adoption file no later than March 30, 2025. Holt International will not be able to accept any new requests for these services after this date. In the months prior to the upcoming transition, Holt Korea Children’s Services will be diligently working to fulfill as many prior requests as possible, as well as preparing their adoption records for transfer, by the July deadline. Adoptees who submit a request for these services to Holt International after March 30, 2025 will be directed to submit their request to the NCRC for post adoption services starting in July.
• We will still be accepting adoption file requests for your US adoption file.
• In the past, Holt Korea Children's Services has been able to serve as a go between for adoptees and birth parents who have reconnected but are not ready or able to have direct contact with one another. As of July, Holt Korea Children's Services will no longer be able to serve as an intermediary between birth families and adoptees. Any adoptee considering initiating a birth search, or who is currently receiving intermediary services to communicate with their birth family, is encouraged to be open to or to transition to direct contact. Holt International can help guide adoptees on the best tools and options for directly communicating with Korean speaking birth family members living in Korea.”
Korean Adoptees Please See This Highly Time Sensitive Post:
The Current State of Birth Family Search.
Somewhere, our Korean Adoption Agency overlords are enjoying watching Adoptees scramble around to try to file last minute birth family search requests, like your proverbial “Squid Game” upper management goons.
Please read above for important and HIGHLY TIME SENSITIVE information regarding birth family search for ALL Korean Adoptees.
