Children bear cost of adoption delays, advocate says
Children awaiting adoption in Korea are losing precious time to form bonds with permanent families as lengthy reviews and unclear screening standards delay placements, the head of an adoptive families’ advocacy group said. In an interview with The Korea Times after a press conference Tuesday outside the Board of Audit and Inspection in central Seoul, Oh Chang-hwa, head of the National Adoptive…
Children awaiting adoption in Korea are experiencing significant delays that prevent them from forming lasting connections with their future families, according to Oh Chang-hwa, the head of the National Adoptive Family Federation. Speaking to The Korea Times following a press conference at the Board of Audit and Inspection in central Seoul, Oh expressed his concern over the situation and called for a more expedited adoption matching process along with clear assessment standards.
He emphasized, "Children are there and parents are there. But they cannot meet." His organization, along with six other civic groups, submitted a petition requesting an inspection of the screening and matching procedures under the recently implemented adoption system, which began on July 19, 2025. This system transfers the responsibility for adoption procedures from private agencies to the central and local governments.
The primary concerns highlighted by the petitioners include administrative delays, inconsistent screening, and the excessive gathering of sensitive family information.
Written by urgent.news from The Korea Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
Also reported by 1 other outlet
- Children bear cost of adoption delays, advocate says koreatimes.co.kr
