Overseas Korean Agency urges 'identity plus pride' at adoptee gathering

More than 100 adoptees and their families are participating in a four-day event hosted by the newly established Overseas Korean Agency (OKA) to reacquaint themselves with their motherland.

The participants of the Overseas Korean Adoptees Gathering and Lee Key-cheol, commissioner of the Overseas Korean Agency (OKA), center, pose for a photo during the opening ceremony of the event at Conrad Seoul in Yeouido, western Seoul, on Tuesday. [OVERSEAS KOREAN AGENCY]

More than 100 adoptees and their families are participating in a four-day event hosted by the newly established Overseas Korean Agency (OKA) to reacquaint themselves with their motherland.

Lee Key-cheol, commissioner of the OKA, welcomed the participants to an opening ceremony of the annual Overseas Korean Adoptees Gathering at the Conrad Seoul in Yeouido, western Seoul, on Tuesday.

“I am glad to welcome everyone to the Overseas Korean Adoptees Gathering in Korea,” said Lee during his welcoming speech. “Our government empathizes with adoptees’ struggles and what they must be feeling today being back in their homeland. On behalf of the Korean government and our organization, I am incredibly proud that so many of you are revered in your country of residence and have held on to your identity through your struggles.”

Lee also highlighted the OKA’s efforts to support the Korean diaspora, including legal changes that awarded official recognition of adoptees as overseas Koreans.

“The OKA is working hard to enhance the practical rights and interests of Korean adoptees living abroad,” Lee continued. “To strengthen the bond between adoptees from all over the world and their home country and to develop a network among adoptees, we will further promote gatherings for adoptees, such as this event today. In cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Health and Welfare, we will support the enactment of the Adoptee Citizenship Act in the United States and implement laws on international adoption through the ratification of The Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption.”

Korea’s “amazing and rapid” economic development after the Korean War was next touched upon by Lee, who further said that adoptees could see their motherland as a “benevolent and proud” country and take “identity plus pride” from their visit to their through the gathering.

Lee Key-cheol, commissioner of the Overseas Korean Agency (OKA), speaks during the opening ceremony of the Overseas Korean Adoptees Gathering at Conrad Seoul in Yeouido, western Seoul, on Tuesday. [OVERSEAS KOREAN AGENCY]

Lee’s remarks were followed by another welcome speech from Chung Ick-joong, president of the National Center for the Rights of the Child, who emphasized that Korea would soon face a watershed regarding adoption through the ratification of The Hague Convention next year.

“Starting in July 2025, adoptions that were previously conducted through private agencies will now be carried out on the governmental level,” said Chung. “Through the ratification of The Hague Convention, we will stand along the ranks of developed countries in adoption and child welfare.”

A representative from the participants at the event also spoke during the opening ceremony, expressing excitement and hope about connecting with Korea, fellow adoptees and their families through the OKA gathering.

“The fact that we are all here today despite our differences and the different paths our lives are taking is a testament to the bone that we share through our common heritage,” said Anton Claesson, participating on behalf of his mother, a Korean adoptee, who was adopted to Sweden in 1972 when she was five years old. “This gathering is about learning about our past and opening up new opportunities for the future. I believe these connections we make here will be invaluable, and we can all leave here with a greater sense of identity and community.”

The Overseas Korean Adoptees Gathering continues until Friday, with events on heritage, networking and policy discussions lined up for the four-day schedule.

The OKA, a sub-ministry under the Foreign Ministry launched in June last year, took over and streamlined the work previously handled by the Foreign Ministry’s overseas Korean policy department and the Overseas Korean Foundation.

BY LIM JEONG-WON [lim.jeongwon@joongang.co.kr]