[Exclusive] Korean adoptee sisters meet for the first time in 39 years

Jee Won Ha (left) and Darragh Hannan (right) at Incheon Airport, meeting each other for the first time after being separated soon after birth. (Hugh Hong/The Korea Herald)

Incheon Airport witnessed a heartfelt reunion on Friday afternoon as Darragh Hannan and Jee Won Ha, sisters separated at birth and raised worlds apart, met face-to-face for the first time. The two, adopted as infants—Hannan in the US and Ha in Belgium—recently discovered their full sibling connection through a MyHeritage DNA test, sparking this life-changing encounter.

Hannan, adopted in Minnesota shortly after her birth in 1986, grew up in a loving and supportive home.

Ha, on the other hand, experienced a challenging journey. Born in 1985 and initially adopted by a Korean family, her life took a dramatic turn after her parents divorced, leading her to be adopted by a Belgian family in 1987. This family later adopted seven Cambodian children using falsified papers and dubious methods.

“Identity theft, child smuggling, child trafficking. ... It seems like my parents were big role in it, so they organized it and they did it themselves," Ha said.

At 14, Ha left home due to years of physical and emotional abuse, spending her remaining teen years in orphanages before eventually securing her own apartment. Now happily married with three children, she has found stability despite her past.

Childhood photos of Jee Won Ha (left) and Darragh Hannan (right). (Courtesy of MyHeritage)

The journey that would eventually reunite the sisters began in 2018, when Hannan took a DNA test hoping to uncover her roots. The test, however, only turned up distant cousin results and Hannan's search appeared to have ended, until earlier this year.

Earlier this year, Ha’s brother suggested taking a DNA test, and Ha joined him for support. While her brother’s results were uneventful, Ha was stunned to learn she had a full sister.

"I was completely in shock. I drank a little bit before I could write an email (to Hannan)," Ha said.

Ha’s email to Hannan, simply stating, “Hey, I think we’re sisters,” changed their lives forever. As they now navigate this new relationship, they are also grappling with complex emotions.

“We've talked about that a little bit, and we've seen reunions happen on TV, and we hear stories of reunions and how happy they are,” Hannan said.

“We always see that part, but we never see the confusion and the questioning and all of the big feelings that happen after the big moment. What comes next? What's our after the big moment? What does that look like for us?”

Ha added, “Finding each other is not only the one big happy thought. It's also the confusion and the sadness of all the things that you missed together.”

The sisters plan to spend the coming days traveling in Seoul in search of their birth parents and getting to know each other. “For me, my trip to Korea with her (Hannan) is ... closure of asking who I am, at the same time, beginning the search of who I am,” Ha shared in an interview with The Korea Herald.

Watch the full video of the reunion on The Korea Herald YouTube channel, filmed by Hugh Hong and Tammy Park.

By Tammy Park(tammy@heraldcorp.com)