Korean Adoptee Starter Guide.

Please note that this page contains information relevant to ALL Korean Adoptees.

Korean Adoptees (KADs) often have the same questions when they are starting out on a birth family search. Below are some common questions and answers which KADs often have. Please note that we definitely don’t have all of the answers. But we hope that this can be a good starting point for you.

Also, please note that we are a volunteer organization primarily dedicated to helping Korean Adoptees adopted through the Korean Adoption Agency KSS (Korea Social Service). We simply do not have the means to be your personal sherpa through your birth family search if you are a non-KSS Adoptee. However, if you are a KSS (Korea Social Service) Adoptee please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions.

If you are a non KSS Adoptee, you can still contact us, but we are most likely to refer you to Facebook groups for Korean Adoptees, where you can ask common questions and connect with the community, which is an incredibly valuable resource. If you don’t know what your Korean Adoption Agency was, we can try to help you if you contact us.

DNA Testing.

Because so much (though not all) Korean adoption paperwork is often falsified, we cannot more strongly recommend doing ALL possible DNA tests:


IMPORTANT UPDATE! Please see the section below this section, titled:
”January 5th, 2024: Important Update Regarding the Police Missing Person’s DNA test in Korea. Starting in 2024, SIBLINGS can be DNA tested by Korean Police!”

We recommend taking 23 and Me first, then transferring raw data for free to FTDNA and MyHeritage. You should also take Ancestry (a paid test like 23 and Me).

More detailed info here:

https://www.paperslip.org/dna-testing

For DNA questions we recommend joining the Facebook group DNA tested Korean Adoptee's and Korean War Veterans and their children:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/794123673965176

How to transfer your raw data for FREE from 23 and Me to FTDNA and MyHeritage:

*Update 2023: Please note that following 23 and Me’s data breach, you are no longer able to upload raw data to FTDNA from 23 and Me. Please check the DNA tested Korean Adoptee's and Korean War Veterans and their children for the most up-to-date information on transferring raw data for free from one DNA site to another. You can still upload raw data for free to FTDNA from other DNA sites, and if you qualify you can still get a FREE FTDNA test from 325Kamra - please see the forum above for more info.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/794123673965176/search/?q=how%20to%20transfer%20dna
 

Please note: If you reach out to cousin / relative matches on DNA sites, just remember the golden rule: Do NOT tell the person you are adopted until you have formed a relationship of trust. Telling a person you are adopted too soon will almost always scare a person off. We would not recommend that you connect to a person on Facebook, Instagram, or other social media if it's obvious you are adopted from your profile - you might consider setting up a separate Facebook, Instagram or other social media profile that is totally non-Korean Adoption related for connecting to DNA matches. Do NOT write that you are adopted in your online DNA test profiles for 23 and Me, FTDNA, MyHeritage, or Ancestry. If you currently mention in your profile/s that you are adopted, we strongly recommend that you remove that information.

We think Korean Adoptees usually greatly underestimate their DNA cousin matches, and get disappointed when they cannot find birth parents or close cousin matches quickly. However many people we know have connected with family through commercial US DNA testing and this route is a guarantee of finding family, whereas the paperwork trail can often (though not always) be disappointing. 

The birth family search process is often difficult - unfortunately that's the way it is for many Korean Adoptees in terms of birth family search via the paperwork route (doing a birth family search through a Korean Adoption Agency). However, DNA testing will guarantee that you find many blood relatives - it will just NOT guarantee that you find birth parent/s. Please know that because few native Koreans take commercial US DNA tests (such as 23 and Me, FTDNA, MyHeritage, and Ancestry), it is not easy to directly find birth parents though DNA testing. However, it is a guarantee that you will find hundreds of cousins through commercial US DNA tests.

It may also be possible to find previously unknown siblings or half-siblings and even twins through DNA testing, if they exist and have taken the same DNA test/s as you. Quite simply, the more of us who test, the more of us will find each other.

We know of some instances in which Korean Adoptees have been able to trace their birth parents through a 2nd cousin match or closer DNA match (such as a 1st cousin, sibling, or half-sibling). (Please note it is almost impossible to trace a birth parent though anything beyond a 2nd cousin DNA match). It is not uncommon to have over 800 blood relatives on 23 and Me.

We cannot over emphasize how important it is to take ALL possible commercial US DNA tests. You never know who has taken which test. 


Understanding The Important Differences In Commercial US DNA Tests:

23 and Me has the most KOREAN DNA in its database. FTDNA is the smallest database, but it is important to take this test because it has been distributed for free to Korean Adoptees around the world and to Korean birth parents in Korea by the organizations 325Kamra for years. MyHeritage  is not a huge database for Korean DNA, but Korean Adoptees have certainly found family via this test. Ancestry is the largest DNA database, but it is the largest in terms of white / black DNA - for those of Korean origin, 23 and Me is the largest database - but Korean Adoptees have certainly found family via Ancestry as well.

The Police Missing Person's DNA Test:

*Please note that you can take this test in Korea at one of two places - the tests are the same test, you do not need to do both:

  1. A major Korean Police Station (we recommend Mapo Police Station in Seoul as they have had years of experience with DNA testing Korean Adoptees).

    -Please note you may need your Adoption Certificate from your relevant Korean Adoption Agency, which you will need to identify. You will need to contact your Korean Adoption Agency for this Adoption Certificate well in advance of your trip to Korea, because many Korean Adoption Agencies can take weeks or even months to respond to emails. Please also be sure to take copies (not originals) of your adoption documents, along with your Passport to the police station when you go to take your test.

    -Please see “Registering DNA data” here for more info: https://mfof.se/download/18.3fb844b2179a8fcfa4548418/1622550452816/Leaflet_Adoption%20Information%20Disclosure%20Service(Eng).pdf?fbclid=IwAR2QSuaZrq4JhoRvcD08ruh2MIZpMjJHSwbP2IbTaMWAcCGPaYkJUgyBSs4

    -Please note that if you are unable to obtain your Adoption Certificate from your relevant Korean Adoption Agency in time, that we still recommend trying to go to a major police station to try to take the DNA test anyway.
    -No matter what take copies of your adoption documents to any Korean police station and your passport. If you don't have your Adoption Certificate, then Korean police stations may allow you to take the Korean Police Missing Person's DNA test without your Adoption Certificate.

    -You may need to take a translator, and you will need to make an appointment in advance.

    -Once the DNA test is completed, your DNA supposedly remains in the Police Missing Person’s DNA database until birth family is found.

  2. A Korean Consulate in your Western country of adoption.

    -Please note you will need an NCRC Certificate in order to take the Police Missing Person’s DNA test through a Korean Consulate in your Western country of adoption. You may also need to prove that you are a missing person, which can be difficult for those of us with falsified adoption paperwork. You will need to contact NCRC by email to request the NCRC Certificate. Please note that NCRC has just 2 birth family search workers (as of September 2023) and so please expect possibly weeks-months long wait times. Please do not frivolously email NCRC as this just extremely limited resources.

    -Please see “Registering DNA data” here for more info: https://mfof.se/download/18.3fb844b2179a8fcfa4548418/1622550452816/Leaflet_Adoption%20Information%20Disclosure%20Service(Eng).pdf?fbclid=IwAR2QSuaZrq4JhoRvcD08ruh2MIZpMjJHSwbP2IbTaMWAcCGPaYkJUgyBSs4

    The Police Missing Person's DNA test is just a one-to-one test. This means that only if your birth parent ALSO took this test and you take this test do you have the chance of finding them. The odds are small (not impossible, just very small). However you are guaranteed to find hundreds of blood relatives (no guarantee of finding birth parents) through commercial DNA tests such as 23 and Me, FTDNA, MyHeritage, and Ancestry. These commercial US DNA tests are one-to-many DNA tests, meaning anyone who has also taken the same test as you who is related to you will show up as a match to you.

    The police DNA test is a very long shot, it's just a one to one dna matching test (one of your birth parents in Korea would have had to have taken the test, and you would have to take the test, in order to match). It's not a bad thing to do, but the best thing to do is to take all possible commercial DNA tests - 23 and Me and Ancestry (the two tests you have to pay for). You can transfer raw data for free from 23 and Me to MyHeritage and FTDNA. This would get you on all the major US tests. 

    Please note that you may need your Adoption Certificate from your relevant Korean Adoption Agency in order to take the Police Missing Person’s DNA test at a police station in Korea, and that you will need the NCRC Certificate from NCRC to take the Police Missing Person’s DNA test through a Korean consulate in your Western country of adoption. Please note that these are the SAME TESTS and go into the same DNA database, so you only need to do one or the other of the tests (not both).

    *No matter what take copies of your adoption documents to any Korean police station and your passport. If you don't have your Adoption Certificate, then Korean police stations may allow you to take the Korean Police Missing Person's DNA test without your Adoption Certificate.

    Please note that both Korean Adoption Agencies and NCRC may take months, or even longer, to respond to Adoptee requests. So be sure to request your documents well in advance of any planned trips to Korea or the Korean consulate in your Western country of adoption.

    Policy may be different than practice in Korea - if you are unable to obtain your Adoption Certificate from your Korean Adoption Agency, we still highly recommend that you take your adoption paperwork and passport and to with a translator (or Google Translate / Papago) to a major police station in Korea (we recommend Mapo police station in Seoul, since they are familiar with Adoptees) to try to get tested for the Police Missing Person’s DNA Test. You will likely need to make an appointment in advance via a translator.

    Please read more about that here under “Registering DNA Data”:

    https://mfof.se/download/18.3fb844b2179a8fcfa4548418/1622550452816/Leaflet_Adoption%20Information%20Disclosure%20Service(Eng).pdf?fbclid=IwAR2KWHMwakVuiekNyi3kVd1kjdprl3o_ZiUbqT38UvvKIH0IRVkEKXBEXec

January 5th, 2024: Important Update Regarding the Police Missing Person’s DNA test in Korea. Starting in 2024, SIBLINGS can be DNA tested by Korean Police:

Starting in 2024, it appears that the Korean Police are expanding its current Police Missing Person’s DNA test from just Parent / Child matching to Parent / Child / SIBLING matching! This means that it may be possible in the future, as more Adoptees’ Korean SIBLINGS take this DNA test in Korea, for Adoptees to find their siblings who stayed in Korea with their birth parents, and by extension, for Adoptees to find their birth parents. Fingers crossed that Korean siblings decide to take this test!

Update: January 9th, 2024:

A reliable source in Korea has confirmed with a Korean police officer that Adoptees who have taken the Korean Police Missing Person’s DNA Test do NOT have to re-test in order to be included in this new expansion to Korean SIBLING testing.

Please note: A bill was passed in Korea in 2023 which means that now your DNA lasts in the Korean Police Missing Person's DNA Test's system until birth family is found. Previously DNA only lasted in the system for 10 years. (However, a police officer in Korea has said no DNA has ever been deleted from the system. For those able to travel to Korea, it's still advisable to double check with police to be sure your DNA is still active in their system).

Please note, for those who have not previously taken the Korean Police Missing Person’s DNA Test that you may need an Adoption Certificate from your Korean Adoption Agency in order to take the Korean Police Missing Person’s DNA Test at a police station in Korea, or an NCRC Certificate from NCRC in order to take the Korean Police Missing Person’s DNA Test at a Korean consulate in your Western country of adoption. Contact information for the 4 major Korean Adoption Agencies can be found on the Korean Adoptee Starter Guide. Contact information for NCRC can be found on How To Use NCRC For Birth Family Search.

This is as much information as we know for now. For anyone traveling to Korea who has previously taken the Korean Police Missing Person's DNA Test, we recommend double-checking with Korean police regarding whether or not you need to re-test.

See below for more info:

Translations are through ChatGPT:

Article 1:

https://n.news.naver.com/article/003/0012283936?lfrom=kakao

2023.12.25

”Starting next year, even siblings can register their genetic information to find missing children. (Note that the date of this article is 2023, so SIBLING testing begins in 2024).

The National Police Agency and the National Institute of Scientific Investigation have completed the upgrade of the 'Genetic Information Analysis System,' allowing not only parents but also siblings to register their genes to help locate missing children. The police have been operating the 'Genetic Analysis System' since 2004 to find missing children and individuals with intellectual disabilities, autism, mental disorders, and dementia. Over the years, they have collected genetic samples from a total of 41,055 cases, leading to the discovery of 857 long-term missing persons. Notably, there have been cases, such as in March of last year, where a child who went missing in 1981 at Suwon Bus Terminal and was adopted in Germany (at the age of 4) was reunited with his mother after 42 years through genetic analysis at Yeosu Police Station. However, the existing genetic information search system allowed registration and search only for parent-child relationships, and there were limitations in accuracy and security due to the system's aging. A police official stated, "Due to the nature of genetic information analysis, there may not be many matches initially, and accurate results may require the accumulation of a significant amount of data," urging the public's attention and participation.”

~

Article 2:

https://digitalchosun.dizzo.com/site/data/html_dir/2023/12/29/2023122980106.html

2024.01.01

“Starting this year, genetic registration for finding missing children is not only available for parents but also for siblings.

The National Police Agency (Commissioner Yoon Hee-geun) and the National Institute of Scientific Investigation (Acting Director Kim Jin-pyo) announced that they have completed the upgrade of the 'Genetic Information Analysis System' for finding missing children (those under 18 at the time of disappearance, individuals with intellectual, developmental, mental disabilities, and dementia). From 2024, genetic registration for siblings, not just parents, is now possible.

The 'Genetic Analysis System' for finding missing children has been in operation since 2004. The police have collected a total of 41,055 genetic samples, achieving results by discovering 857 long-term missing persons as of October 2023. However, the existing genetic information search system has limitations as it only allowed registration and search for first-degree relationships (parents-child), and its aging system affected search accuracy and security.

In response, the National Police Agency conducted the upgrade project for the genetic information search system, completing development in December. As of this year, genetic registration and search for second-degree relationships (siblings) are now possible for the purpose of finding missing children.

A police official stated, "Due to the nature of genetic information analysis, there may not be many matches initially, and accurate results may require the accumulation of a significant amount of data." They also expressed gratitude for the public's attention and participation.”

Birth Family Search Through Your Korean Adoption Agency.

To begin a birth family search, it is best to start a search through your Korean Adoption Agency. You first need to identify what your Korean Adoption Agency was. The 4 major Korean Adoption Agencies all have active Post-Adoption Services (PAS) through which you can conduct a paperwork based birth family search by filling out the Korean Adoption Agency’s respective forms and submitting them via email.

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

1. Holt KOREA (largest of the Korean adoption agencies) or Holt International. NOTE: Holt split into Holt Korea and Holt International around 1976 in order to remain an "indigenous" (Korean led) agency in Korea, after the Korean government decided that only Korean led adoption agencies could process international adoptions. Holt Korea is the Korean Adoption Agency, and Holt International is the Western Adoption Agency. You want to begin your birth family search through Holt Korea. *Please note that Holt loves to prey on Adoptees’ confusion and ping-pong Adoptees back and forth between Holt Korea and Holt International.'



2. ESWS / ECWS (Eastern Social Welfare Society / Eastern Child Welfare Society)



3. KWS (Korea Welfare Society) - previously SWS (Social Welfare Society) / CPS (Child Placement Service) / Daehan Placement Service / 대한양연회 (Daehan means Korea)



4. KSS (Korea Social Service) - smallest of the Korean adoption agencies.

  • If you are a KSS Adoptee, please be sure to see this page:
    Step by Step Korea Social Service (KSS) Birth Family Search:
    https://www.paperslip.org/step-by-step-kss-birth-family-search

  • To request your KOREAN Adoptive Child Study Summary (a document specific to KSS / Korea Social Service ONLY), simply follow the "Illustrated Step By Step Guide" here: 
    https://www.paperslip.org/step-by-step-kss-birth-family-search

  • Please view the link above on a laptop (not a phone) and follow the graphics carefully to fill out the forms correctly - we are happy to review your documents before you submit them to KSS if you wish as many KSS Adoptees make mistakes on the forms that can cost them years of valuable time - simply email them to us at paperslipadoptee@gmail.com

How To Figure Out What Your Korean Adoption Agency Was.

Many Korean Adoptees do not know what their Korean and / or Western (US / European / Canadian / Australian) Adoption Agencies were. To help identify what your Korean and / or Western Adoption Agencies were, a few tips are below:

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

  • Ask your adoptive parents.

    • We understand that not everyone has a good relationship with their adoptive parents, and that not everyone has access to their adoption paperwork. However, if you do have a good relationship with your adoptive parents, and they do have possession of your adoption paperwork, then this is the best and easiest place to start.

  • If you are a US Adoptee, you can file a FREE FOIA request.

    • Please note that it’s best that you have your Alien (A) Number, which is listed at the top of your Naturalization Certificate. You will also need your Korean name spelled in English (such as Min Hee LEE) listed exactly as it was on your US immigr. documents. Please see this link for more info:

      • US Adoptees: File A FOIA Request For Your Full US Immigr. File.
        Filing A FOIA Request is Simple and FREE:
        https://www.paperslip.org/foia-request-for-us-adoptees

      • Please note that filing a FOIA request will NOT initiate any birth family search through either your Korean or Western Adoption Agency. Also please note that unless your birth parent information is in the adoption paperwork provided to your adoptive parents at the time of your adoption, that a FOIA request will not reveal any birth parent information.

  • You can narrow down the possibilities of your Korean Adoption Agency by knowing the country to which you were adopted.

    • For example:

      • KWS (now SWS) was the primary Korean Adoption Agency for Sweden.

      • KSS (Korea Social Service) adopted to the US, Netherlands, Switzerland, and Denmark. See a list of ALL of KSS’ Known Partner Western Adoption Agencies here:

        • List of All Known Korea Social Service (KSS) Partner Western Adoption Agencies in the US and Europe:
          https://www.paperslip.org/list-of-all-kss-partner-western-adoption-agencies-1

        • If you were adopted to the Netherlands and are a Dutch Korean Adoptee, then your Korean Adoption Agency was almost certainly KSS (Korea Social Service), as KSS was the ONLY Korean Adoption Agency to adopt to the Netherlands. If you were adopted to Denmark and are a Danish Korean Adoptee, then your Korean Adoption Agency was either Holt or KSS (Korea Social Service), as these were the only two Korean Adoption Agencies to adopt to Denmark.

      • Holt sent the most Korean Adoptees around the world (to the US / Europe / Canada / Australia) so if you are a Korean Adoptee you have a high chance of being a Holt Adoptee.

      • If you know your K-Number but do not know your Korean Adoption Agency, contact us and we may be able to help you identify your Korean Adoption Agency by its style.

  • If you are unable to identify your Korean Adoption Agency by any other means, your last resort is to contact each of the 4 major Korean Adoption Agencies. However, this is really extreme and please know that each Korean Adoption Agency only has a few social workers to process the requests of many Adoptees. Please do yourself and others a favor and exhaust all other means of identifying your Korean Adoption Agency before contacting each of the Korean Adoption Agencies.

For US Adoptees: Obtaining Adoption Paperwork Through A FREE FOIA Request.

Many Korean Adoptees do not have access to their adoption paperwork for a variety of reasons - it has been lost by the Adoptee or their adoptive parents, or the Adoptee has a bad relationship with their adoptive parents and cannot obtain their adoption paperwork. In some cases the adoptive parents have hidden, lost or destroyed adoption paperwork. For a variety of reasons, some Korean Adoptees do not have possession or access to their original adoption paperwork.

For US Adoptees, there is an easy way to obtain copies of their adoption paperwork. US Adoptees can file a FREE FOIA request for their US Immigr. documents. Please see this page for more information:

US Adoptees: File A FOIA Request For Your Full US Immigr. File. Filing A FOIA Request is Simple and FREE:
https://www.paperslip.org/foia-request-for-us-adoptees

In order to file for a FOIA request online, you will typically need your A (Alien Number) which is usually at the top right of your US Naturalization Certificate. You will also need to know your Korean name spelled in English, exactly as it is spelled on your adoption documents (for example Min Hee LEE). We know of Adoptees who have received 80 page PDFs containing copies of their adoption documents, including documents not previously seen.

Please note that a FOIA request will not produce birth parent information that is not already contained in your original adoption paperwork provided to your adoptive parents at the time of your adoption.

Please note that filing a FOIA request will not initiate any birth family search through either the Korean or Western Adoption Agency.

However we cannot more strongly recommend that US Korean Adoptees file a free FOIA request in order to obtain all possible information about their adoption history.

Going To Korea.

Many Korean Adoptees have never been back to the homeland. Returning to Korea can be an overwhelming prospect, but trust us going to Korea can be a life changing experience. There are group homeland tours available for Korean Adoptees which we highly recommend (though of course you can also always go on your own):

We recommend the Mosaic Tour:

https://meandkorea.org/mosaic

For the Mosaic Tour, it is a subsidized trip, so apart from airfare and around a $250 fee, the rest of the trip is free. 

Please note that the the Mosaic Tour strongly prioritizes those Korean Adoptees who have never been to Korea before. Also, this tour does not allow you to bring spouses or other family members - it is a Korean Adoptee tour only.

You apply the December prior to the Summer you want to go - so for example if you want to go on the tour in Summer 2024 you would need to apply by December 2023. The Mosaic Tour prioritizes those who have been recommended by prior participants. 

GOAL also has a “First Trip Home” - please search online for more info or GOAL’s website:
https://goal.or.kr/

There are also other Korean Adoptee tours which you can research online and on Korean Adoptee Facebook groups.

Pro-Active  Birth Family Search Tips for KSS (Korea Social Service) and ALL Korean Adoptees.

Please see this page for our recommendations for birth family search tips in Korea:

Pro-Active  Birth Family Search Tips for KSS (Korea Social Service) and ALL Korean Adoptees.
https://www.paperslip.org/birth-family-search-tips-1

Birth Family Search For Korean Adoptees Who Have Birth Parent Info.

Some Korean Adoptees have the names and birthdates of their Korean birth parents, either directly from their adoption file or through other means. In such cases, we recommend that you go to the city hall and police station nearest to the place where you were born / found, or where the last known location of your birth parent is / was, and ask for help from city hall workers and police. Please note that you will very likely need a translator, as few city hall workers or police officers speak English.

Often Korean Adoption Agencies will tell Adoptees that a search cannot be conducted without an ID number, but this is not true. However, at minimum you will need the first and last name of the Korean birth parent and their date of birth in order to conduct a search through city hall or police in Korea. Having an ID number will of course help, but is not 100% necessary in instances where the birth parent has an unusual name.

Please note that such searches may not be successful if a person has a common name and the ID number is unknown. But for those Adoptees who do have the name of their birth parent/s and birth date/s, working with city hall and police in Korea is certainly worth trying.

How To Test A Potential Korean Birth Relative In Korea.

If you are in touch with a possible Korean birth relative in Korea, then there are ways to get this person DNA tested without having to physically travel to Korea.

Please see our DNA Testing page to read about 4-day, one-to-one turnaround DNA tests you can take in Korea at KGI (Korea Genetics Institute) and / or DowGene. We most strongly recommend KGI.

Please see the website below for more information:

https://www.kssadoptees.com/

KSS (Korea Social Service) Adoptees Should Contact Us For Imporant Information.

If you are a KSS (Korea Social Service) Adoptee, adopted to the US, Netherlands, Switzerland, or Denmark, please contact us. We will do our best to help you.