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In South Korea, child abandonment is taboo. However, since the 1960s, more than 200,000 young Koreans have been taken in by parents abroad, fueling the business of multinational adoption companies.
At the door of the orphanage, Pastor Lee’s baby box has already welcomed around thirty newborns since the beginning of the year. All abandoned by their mothers for fear of being ostracized from society. In South Korea, the world’s tenth largest economy, child abandonment is one of the best kept secrets.
These women are mostly single mothers and in this country, where employers ask for the family record book when recruiting, having a child alone or outside marriage is a shame.
Finding his biological family
These abandoned children are often sent for international adoption. Since the 1960s, more than 200,000 Korean children have been taken in by parents abroad. They even constitute the largest diaspora of children in modern history, feeding the business of multinational adoption companies.
Among them, French people, like Anna, 50, adopted at the age of 6. She went in search of her biological family in her native country.
A report by Camille Le Pomellec, Minju Song, Byoungsoo Kim, Colin Guillemant for Hikari Presse broadcast in “Special Envoy” on June 1, 2023.
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