[Graphic News] Decline in adoption continues: Just 229 children find new homes last year

Last year, a total of 229 children found new homes through both domestic and international adoption, according to the Ministry of Health and Welfare. This figure marks a decline for the fourth consecutive year, with 150 children adopted domestically and 79 adopted internationally. The cumulative number of adopted children now stands at 249,959.

In domestic adoption, 89 girls and 61 boys were adopted, though the proportion of girls saw a slight decrease of 4.9 percent compared to the previous year. The majority of adoptees were between under 3 months to under 1 year old, with 75 in this age group, followed by under age 1 to under 3, with 58.

For international adoption, boys outnumbered girls, with 53 boys and 26 girls, and the majority were under 1 to under 3 years old.

The primary reason given for putting children up for adoption was unmarried mothers, accounting for 72.9 percent of cases. Abandoned children made up 23.6 percent, while family breakdowns due to divorce or parental death accounted for 3.5 percent.

By Nam Kyung-don(don@heraldcorp.com)