Note:

*While this website is mostly geared toward Adoptees who were adopted through the Korean Adoption Agency Korea Social Service (KSS), there is also information here which is relevant to ALL Korean Adoptees, regardless of their Korean Adoption Agency. Please read carefully to note what info. is purely relevant to KSS Adoptees and what is generally relevant to ALL Korean Adoptees.

How Do I Know If Korea Social Service (KSS) Was My Korean Adoption Agency?

Most KSS Adoptees were adopted through a Korean Adoption Agency (KSS) and one of KSS’ Partner Western Adoption Agencies in the US, Netherlands, Denmark, or Switzerland. Please see the full list of KSS’ Partner Western Adoption Agencies here. If you were adopted through one of KSS’ Partner Western Adoption Agencies in the time periods during which KSS partnered with these Partner Western Adoption Agencies, then there is the possibility that your Korean Adoption Agency was KSS.

You can find a list of all 4 major Korean Adoption Agencies and their corresponding Western Adoption Agencies here:

https://mfof.se/download/18.3fb844b2179a8fcfa4548418/1622550452816/Leaflet_Adoption%20Information%20Disclosure%20Service(Eng).pdf?fbclid=IwAR39DJh8oGHDwxE2VC65cPzwKtKqIM4scYiu87y3_FP7Ox1p5HOG4UoC4KQ

However, some KSS Adoptees had private adoptions directly from KSS - in such cases, either the Western adoptive parents or their representative visited KSS in Seoul or a feeder orphanage and did a so called “named” adoption - where they named (chose) the child they wanted to adopt, and the adoption procedure was completed through a Western lawyer (rather than a Partner Western Adoption Agency) as an intermediary. In such cases, the KSS Adoptee’s Korean Adoption Agency was KSS, and the KSS Adoptee had no corresponding US or European Adoption Agency. (There could be other types of private adoptions about which we are not aware).

If you are a US Adoptee, you can file a FOIA request, which is a simple and FREE process. A FOIA request will return all documents related to your immigration to the US, including your “English facing” adoption documents, which would tell you which Korean and Western Adoption Agencies you were adopted through (if applicable). Please note however that FOIA documents do not typically contain birth parent names or identifying information. In addition, filing a FOIA request will not initiate a Birth Family Search with any Korean or US Adoption Agency. However, we cannot more strongly recommend that US Korean Adoptees file a FOIA request.

Your FOIA documents would tell you what Korean and US Adoption Agencies you were adopted through (if applicable).

If you are a Korean European or other Korean non-US Adoptee, and you are not sure if you were from the Korean Adoption Agency KSS or not, your K-Number may help to sort it out. Contact us if you would like us to try to help you determine if you were adopted through KSS in Korea or not by sharing your K-Number.

If you know that your Korean Adoption Agency was Korea Social Service (KSS), please see the page: Step by Step Korea Social Service (KSS) Birth Family Search.