These Korean Adoptees Are Returning to Their Birth Country, to Stay

The number of children born in South Korea, who were put up for international adoption reached its peak in the 1980s. Now, this generation of Korean adoptees is returning back to their country of origin as adults.

Hana and Ryan are two such individuals, who are building a community of transnational Korean adoptees, and tackling the ‘adoptee narrative’ with nuance in their podcast ‘Adopted Feels’.

This community wants to go beyond the common narrative of reconnecting with birth families, and wants to talk about race, belonging and the social stigmas that made South Korea the booming centre of transnational adoption in the first place.

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[TheBADGamerx]

I also am a Korean adoptee came to America in 1988 at the age of 3. I personally am happy that I was adopted. If you read the statistics on what happens to most South Korean orphans pretty much on their own at 18 to figure out where to go and who will love you very lonely life. So I choose to look at it as a Blessing! I mean obliviously I would like to know who my real parents are but if its meant to be then it will happen

[mult-tea]

I think if people are going to adopt children from a different ethnicity(especially POC) always try to keep them in touch with their culture. Whether that’s through language, books, films, etc.. so they can at least have some sort of connection back home. So many grow up with identity issues because a lot of families just want them to assimilate and it doesn’t work when they’re visible different from you and the people around them. At least try until they get older so they can decide whether or not they want to continue staying connected or leave it behind.

[famousamos]

Visiting the motherland was a transformative process for me. Never "fit" in with the crowd but a fun place to visit.

[jasonpaz]

I'm a Korean adoptee. Adopted by Hawaiian dad and Korean mom. I've been loved by my Korean and Hawaiian family and never felt different since I'm the majority in HI. Lately I've been thinking of my biological parents and I can't help but to wonder what happened. I'm grateful to be raised the Hawaiian and Korean way but I feel pain thinking what my biological mom must have felt. Thank you for sharing and am stoked about listening to ur podcast. I want to hang out with u guys!

[tommo]

I know Hana in real life! She is the sister of my best friend (here in Australia). We've spoken a fair few times about what she does and I CANNOT emphasise how much of an incredibly intelligent, passionate, down to earth person she is.

[lovelypuff]

I only wish they would have included information about how they interact with their adoptive families now that they have relocated back to South Korea.

[worshipthecomedygodseoeunk]

im a korean adoptee and when i visited for the first time, it was like a slap in the face honestly. i have quite a complicated relationship with korea, but despite feeling so conflicted, i still continue to pursue learning about the culture, meeting koreans, and would even like to settle down there someday, hoping that someday i will feel more connected. because while i didnt grow up with any korean culture, there is a lot of aspects i found myself almost naturally, in a very surreal, dreamlike way, just being able to "feel" as if this culture is a fundamental part of me that hasnt disappeared and will never disappear. none of my adoptive family cares for korean food, music, history, etc like i do, and yet, when i discovered it 10 years ago, it just felt "right" to "fall down the rabbit hole" and my immediate interest instantly made me a happier person. ive struggled with mental illness and suicidal thoughts all my life, but korean culture was one thing that kept me grounded. korea itself reopens a lot of wounds, but korean culture will always stick, and i think thats whats most complicated for me. for me, its about identity and experience, and its crucial for my sense of self and image to pursue these connections no matter what. dna was always very confusing to me as a child, and so i would like to find any birth relative, but i know not to raise my expectations too high. i didnt have a great adoptive family, in fact they could be abusive at times, so it would mean a lot to me to find someone. what people should know is, korean adoptees have wildly different experiences and not a singular one of us can speak for all of us. in fact, theres a lot of drama in the community. but we do share a common bond, and it is an unbreakable one, a story of trauma, loss, identity reformation and reclamation. and i really wish more people appreciated our stories more instead of listening to our parents tell our stories for us.

[BeyondChange]

I was adopted by loving Canadian parents in 1988, originally born in Seoul South Korea. Haven't seen my Birth Parents since, and don't have the desire to ever. My childhood was quite rough living in Foster Care as a Child.

[sfcpaulfowle]

I was adopted back in 1969. I grew up in Olney Maryland. i went into the Army and was able to visit the Orphanage in Il San Korea. Holt international was adoption agency where my parents adopted me from. thank you for making this video. I did go back to Holt Orphanage in Il San when i was stationed in Korea.

[stayraddad]

Very interesting
My
Mom was one of the first Korean babies adopted through Holt. She’s visited once and I wish I had the means to visit one day

[manitoublack]

Great film. Interesting choice to not have the subjects discuss their experience growing up or their relationship with their adopted parents.
Also would have been great to understand their experience learning Korean.

[davinanderson]

South Korea owes its adoptees reparations and an apology for selling them.

[sunrise]

I can't begin to imagine the varied emotions that run thru an adoptee. Having spoken to friends who have been adopted, there is obvious feelings of abandonment, rejection, questioning of identity and where they fit in this world. They are so brave to go on this journey to find their origins.

[kyleekim]

It's not just adoptees that feel this way. I was adopted from Korea and my husband immigrated to the states from Korea when he was just a baby. I have a desire to move back, he does not but will do so with me because he knows I am fighting with my identity. The interesting part though is that my oldest son is gravitating towards the Korean culture, much more than I. He even will be attending Uni there. He loves everything Korean, and will probably stay there the rest of his life. He also has a desire to learn his culture, even though he was born in the USA he relates to his Korean heritage more. His brothers could care less, haha. I wish him the best of luck while he is finding his identity also.

[emmaharris]

I really relate to Jenny Na, especially when she said, "People in America look at me and they see my Korean face. And they assume something about me. They were seeing a Korean person, but I felt very much not like a 'Korean person' on the inside. I didn't even know what that meant." I'm from Minnesota myself. Her words really expressed my own internal feelings.

[TuAmigoElMorrocoy]

Im a Latino inmigrant in the US and i always wanted to adopt if i ever was to have children. If i do that, I would adopt another latin child and he will grow up at home speaking spanish surrounded by people that look like them, it would be less traumatic for the child and just easier for everyone, the is no shortage of unwanted children in orphanages in latin america

[Mr-pneh]

I'm very aware that this is a hot take.

I think it's a terrible idea for adoptees to PERMANENTLY move back to their motherland.

Visiting is one thing, but not every Caucasian person thinks Asian adoptees don't belong in their adopted lands.

Plus if they parents who adopted said children were actually loving and poured their blood sweet and tears into raising the child like God fearing parents should. It would be a slap in their face to return to the homeland.

Especially if said adopte has someone in the adopted country who is in love with said adoptee.

I know this is too specific of a scenario but I don't care how much I upset people because of this.

I understand the feeling of not belonging because even though I am your average white American. Back when I lived in Southern IL, I often felt like I didn't belong even though I was the majority demographic in that area.

[Fleurae]

My mother was adopted from Korea in the 1960s and married my father(who is Caucasian).. I am a product of them. I can understand the feeling of "never fitting in" because I feel it myself. My mother doesn't have any interest in going back to Korea and had no interest in finding any information about her biological parents, but she is deeply ingrained already in Korean culture.

[patrickasplund]

Nobody could have seen the explosion on the world stage that Korea had. I think most parents wouldn't have put their unwanted kids up for adoption had they known. But in 25 years they went from 1 major export to an economic and cultural superpower.

[nospa]

Someday these trans national adoptees will become national treasures giving benefits to Korea.