For the first time in Korean history, domestic adoptions have surpassed international adoptions.
Nearly 60 percent of all adoptions during the first half of this year were domestic, meaning that the children were placed in homes within Korea. The breakdown is 729 out of 1,223 Korean babies, to be exact. (That's far higher than the average 41 to 42 percent the country's seen in the last five years.)
Experts say the increase is largely attributed to a new law that encourages domestic adoptions over international. Korean society has been exposed to more adoption campaigns (the government has been making efforts to shake off the country's reputation as a "baby exporting' nation.) Korean couples living there are also getting tax incentives to adopt.
Overall, the Overseas Korean Foundation estimates nearly 157,145 children have been placed internationally during the last 50 years. Citizens of the U.S., France, Sweden, and Denmark have adopted the most Korean children.
1 comment:
Hello, Just discovered your well written blog. You are quite a writer and I do like your style. I just started in April of this year, 2009, have a lot to learn. Will be going back over your earlier posts.
I just wanted to comment on the figures. One of the reasons Domestic adoptions are larger in percentage is this: InterCountry Adoptions are forced to reduce each year by 10%. STILL, Korean people do NOT adopt enough babies and the actual totals over the years has DROPPED in numbers. I know because I have lived in Korea since 1995, a founding member of GOA'L (Global Overseas Adoptee's Link), and have been researching on my own "This Thing of Ours-Adoption".
If you check my sites you will see that I am trying to find a Middle Road and desire that all try to listen to each other. I want to get everyone's opinion and help people find compromises. Adoption is a complex issue, multi-leveled, with no simple solutions. I find that you have a positive attitude and I can learn a lot from your work. Thank you for blogging on the many sides of the issue.
Aloha to you both,
Don Gordon Bell
Korean War Baby
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