Korean adoptee
Encyclopedia
A Korean international adoptee or KAD is a person who was adopted from South Korea
through the international adoption of South Korean children
as a child
and raised in another country, often by adoptive parents of another race, ethnic background, and culture
.
every year, in addition to raised public awareness of the KAD diaspora, forced Korea to face a shameful and largely unknown part of their history. South Korean president
Kim Dae-Jung invited 29 adult KADs from 8 countries to a personal meeting in the Blue House
in October 1998. During this meeting he publicly apologized for South Korea's inability to raise them (Kim, 1998).
One factor that helped making KADs visible in the South Korean discourse, was a 1991 film called Susanne Brink's Arirang
, based upon the life and experiences of Susanne Brink, an adult KAD from Sweden
who stated to have suffered abuse and racism
in her adoptive home and country. After the movie she became a celebrity in South Korea, and many South Koreans started to feel shame
and guilt
for the children their country had sent out (Hübinette, 1999).
Since then, South Korean media rather frequently reports on the issues regarding international adoption. Most KADs have taken on the citizenship of their adoptive country and no longer have Korean passports. Earlier they had to get a visa
like any other foreigner if they wanted to visit or live in South Korea. This only added to the feeling that they were 'not really South Korean'. In May 1999, a group of KADs living in Korea started a signature-collection in order to achieve legal recognition and acceptance (Schuhmacher, 1999). At present (2009) the number of KADs long term residents in South Korea (mainly Seoul) is estimated at approximately 500. It is not unlikely that this number will increase in the following decade (International adoption from South Korea peaked in the mid 1980s). A report from Global Overseas Adoptees' Link
(G.O.A.'L) indicates that the long term returnees (more than one year) are predominantly in their early twenties or early thirties.
The first ever association
to be created for and by adult KADs, was the Swedish Adopterade Koreaners Forening (AKF) in 1986 (Hübinette, 1999). Since then, similar groups have emerged in most Western European countries, various US
states and cities, as well as in Canada
, Australia
and Korea. Before this, most organized events and activities for KADs had been arranged and administered by adoptive parents and Korean immigrants
. These arrangements included culture camps and social gatherings, with a main focus on adoptive families
and their children.
With the formation of the adult associations, KADs for the first time were gathering with others who shared a common experience, on their own terms and by their own initiative. KADs were making statements both for themselves and towards the public, that they were no longer child
ren, but independent adult
s with their own unique concerns and issues. Together, these varied groups and associations have tried to raise awareness locally and internationally about KADs' unique position in relation to South Korea and their adoptive countries. In 1995, the first KAD conference was held in Germany; in 1999, conferences were arranged in both the US and South Korea (Hübinette, 1999). During the last couple of years, numerous adult KAD conferences and social gatherings in various countries have been arranged, including world gatherings that draw participants from across the globe. In addition, works of KADs have become known both in art, literature and film-making. Other KADs have received celebrity status for other reasons, like Soon-Yi Previn
who is married to Woody Allen
, actress Nicole Bilderback
, Washington State Senator Paull Shin
, and former Slovak rap-artist Daniel Hwan Oostra.
To stem the number of overseas adoptions, the South Korean government had introduced a quota system for foreign adoptions in 1987. And under the system, the nation reduced the number of children permitted for overseas adoption by 3 to 5% each year, from about 8,000 in 1987 to 2,057 in 1997. The goal of the plan was to totally eliminate foreign adoptions by 2015. But in 1998 the government temporarily lifted the restrictions, after the number of abandoned children sharply increased in the wake of growing economic hardships (Shin, Korea Herald, 1999). Notable is a focused effort of the current South Korean government (2009) to seize international adoption out of South Korea (with the establishment of KCare and the domestic Adoption Promotion Law (2009).
For several decades, the South Korean international adoption program provided homes for more orphans per state than any other country in the world. Some called it a national shame considering the country's economic prosperity, but domestic adoption is rare in this nation that clings strongly to patriarchal bloodlines (Elliott, 2002). Official numbers show that approximately 170,000 Koreans have been adopted by North American, European and Oceanic peoples (Overseas Korean's Foundation), but the actual numbers could be as high as 200,000. It is a curious fact that Scandinavians are much more likely than those of other countries to adopt South Koreans, especially when population in Scandinavian nations is taken into account (see statistics here
).
and feelings of alienation
both in South Korea and in their adoptive societies, some KADs have increasingly begun to see themselves as separate and different from both South Korea and the culture of their adoptive countries. As (visible or cultural) 'minorities
' within both societies, they are dispersed around the world, but they still belong to a unique culture (with multiple subcultures and factions inside) and common identity. The creation of a KAD culture emerged from ethnogenesis, the evolution of a new ethnic group
through the blending of other cultures with subsequent creation of a new and distinct culture (Ignance and Ignance, 1998: 140) which is made up of more than merely the sum of its parts. Depending on how to define 'ethnic group', in its simplest form, it means that members identify themselves as belonging to the same general category, which again can be subdivided depending on various classification systems. Identity is more about self-identification than clear-cut, scientific boundaries. Multiculturalism
is also key to the KAD 'ethnic group'. Despite the diverse experiences and even origins of its members, many KADs still manage to maintain a common identity based on shared experiences and circumstances.
Creation of KAD ethnicity and culture started with KADs themselves. In reclaiming their own culture and heritage, KADs aimed to overcome feelings of not belonging in either South Korean culture or in the cultures of their adoptive countries. For example, among the first generation of KAD, local adoption policies stressed the importance of full assimilation, the idea of 'a better life', removal and replacement of Korean names, language
and culture, a lack of respect for South Korean heritage, racism, and discrimination. Upon their return to South Korea, KADs sometimes felt pressure to be 'more Korean', learn Korean language, and be interested in South Korea and Korean culture.
Transcending these narrow paradigms of identity and cultural belonging is the first step towards forging a meaningful and fulfilling form of KAD identity. Recognizing that KADs comprise their own ethnic/cultural group (which cannot be simplistically distilled into a dichotomy of 'Koreans' or '_____'), enables them to embrace their identity and heritage in a way that is not constrained by the stereotypes, expectations and preconceptions of either Korean or adoptive societies. That is the point from which KADs can educate themselves and later the world about who and what KADs really are, and thus dismantle myths and stereotypes and move beyond notions of inferiority about belonging.
Some defining characteristics of KAD culture include leaving Korea as an infant or child and being raised outside of the birthcountry, the majority also outside of Korean culture and race, varying degrees of assimilation into new environments, and being given new names and a new mother tongue. However, KADs often remain tied in some ways to their origins, in addition to incorporating experiences from upbringing and new influences. Many common experiences and issues are faced by a large number of KADs, such as racism, stereotypes, feelings of alienation, conflicts about cultural belonging, lack of biological ties, lack of medical history, and unknown past and heritage. Adult KADs are spread out across the globe, but there seem to be a tendency to cluster around certain geographic locations, often larger cities or areas with a high concentration of Asians/Koreans already existing. This has created a number of geographic anchors for the KAD community. Some of these centers are Los Angeles, San Francisco, the Minnesota Twin Cities, New York, and Toronto in North America, Seoul in Korea, and Stockholm, Amsterdam, and Brussels in Europe.
As a result of growing up in predominantly Caucasian areas, some KADs avoided other Asians in childhood and adolescence out of an unfamiliarity and/or discomfort with Asian cultures. These KADs sometimes express a desire to be Caucasian like their families and peers, and strongly identify with white society. As a result, meeting South Koreans and Korean culture might have been a traumatic experience for some (Meier, 1998). However, other KADs, often those raised in racially or culturally diverse communities, grew up with ties to the Korean community and identify more strongly with the Korean aspect of their identities.
Increasingly, adoptive families have relied on an expanding network of resources (adoption agency post-adoption services, Korean culture camps, mentoring programs, Korean language programs, etc) to incorporate Korean culture into the adoptive family's life and to build ties for the KAD with other KADs and with Korean Americans from an early age. Many adoptive parents today seem to explicitly recognize the importance of helping the KAD to claim a tie to South Korea and Korean culture, and such families often choose to "adopt" Korean culture into their entire family structure via family trips to South Korea, family, Korean language lessons, etc. Some adoptive parents, however, go to extreme of appropriating the KAD experience, presenting themselves as the 'experts' in the area.
Only recently have adult KADs been able to unite and come together in organized ways in order to claim a space and an identity for themselves, opposed to the original beliefs that they would eventually assimilate and become part of the mainstream adoptive culture (Beckwith, 2002). Included in this unification is outreach to younger adoptees, such as volunteering as camp counselors and mentors at Korean culture camps. Many of these initiatives originated from efforts by adoptive parents with younger children, and now have grown into KAD-run enterprises.
One thing that distinguishes KADs from most other groups is the fact that the majority of KADs are not raised by 'their own,' but instead by parents and families of another culture and background. In addition to being racial minorities in society KADs are also minorities in their own families, making it hard for some to turn to adoptive parents for support and advice, particularly regarding issues of racism and stereotyping. Nor do most share their adoptive status with adoptive parents. This has led some KADs to themselves adopt children either from South Korea or elsewhere, while others find spouses and significant others who are also KADs. Many make close friendships and ties with other KADs. This might indicate a strong need to identify with and bond through common experiences when creating their own families and social networks. These enclaves of tightly knit KAD organizations, friends, families and couples is the foundation which future KAD nationalism and ethnicity will build upon.
In 2007, Asian American filmmaker and Korean American adoptee Joy Dietrich
released her first full length feature film titled Tie a Yellow Ribbon
that follows the story of Jenny Mason (Kim Jiang), a Korean adoptee and aspiring photographer as she spends her days are with white friends and colleagues and her nights with white men. She has no contact with her Midwestern family due to a childhood indiscretion with her white brother, Joe (Patrick Heusinger). She rejects any attachment, dumping men as fast as she can pick them up. Yet she longs for a connection that would make her feel at home—a home that she has lost and is forever seeking. The movie aired nationwide on PBS in May, 2008.
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
through the international adoption of South Korean children
International adoption of South Korean children
The international adoption of South Korean children is a recent historical process triggered initially by casualties of the Korean War after 1953...
as a child
Child
Biologically, a child is generally a human between the stages of birth and puberty. Some vernacular definitions of a child include the fetus, as being an unborn child. The legal definition of "child" generally refers to a minor, otherwise known as a person younger than the age of majority...
and raised in another country, often by adoptive parents of another race, ethnic background, and culture
Culture
Culture is a term that has many different inter-related meanings. For example, in 1952, Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn compiled a list of 164 definitions of "culture" in Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions...
.
Historical context and the impact of South Korean nationalism
Not until the 1990s did the South Korean government and South Koreans, both in South Korea and in the diaspora, pay any significant attention to the fates of KADs. The nation was not prepared for the return of their 'lost children.' But the numerous adult KADs who visited Korea as touristsTourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
every year, in addition to raised public awareness of the KAD diaspora, forced Korea to face a shameful and largely unknown part of their history. South Korean president
President of South Korea
The President of the Republic of Korea is, according to the Constitution of the Republic of Korea, chief executive of the government, commander-in-chief of the armed forces, and the head of state of the Republic of Korea...
Kim Dae-Jung invited 29 adult KADs from 8 countries to a personal meeting in the Blue House
Cheong Wa Dae
The Cheongwadae or Blue House is the executive office and official residence of the South Korean head of state, the President of the Republic of Korea...
in October 1998. During this meeting he publicly apologized for South Korea's inability to raise them (Kim, 1998).
One factor that helped making KADs visible in the South Korean discourse, was a 1991 film called Susanne Brink's Arirang
Susanne Brink's Arirang
Susanne Brink's Arirang is a 1991 South Korean/Swedish film based upon the life and experiences of Susanne Brink, an adult Korean adoptee from Sweden who suffered abuse and racism in her adoptive home and country.- Cast :* Choi Jin-sil ... Susanne...
, based upon the life and experiences of Susanne Brink, an adult KAD from Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
who stated to have suffered abuse and racism
Racism
Racism is the belief that inherent different traits in human racial groups justify discrimination. In the modern English language, the term "racism" is used predominantly as a pejorative epithet. It is applied especially to the practice or advocacy of racial discrimination of a pernicious nature...
in her adoptive home and country. After the movie she became a celebrity in South Korea, and many South Koreans started to feel shame
Shame
Shame is, variously, an affect, emotion, cognition, state, or condition. The roots of the word shame are thought to derive from an older word meaning to cover; as such, covering oneself, literally or figuratively, is a natural expression of shame....
and guilt
Guilt
Guilt is the state of being responsible for the commission of an offense. It is also a cognitive or an emotional experience that occurs when a person realizes or believes—accurately or not—that he or she has violated a moral standard, and bears significant responsibility for that...
for the children their country had sent out (Hübinette, 1999).
Since then, South Korean media rather frequently reports on the issues regarding international adoption. Most KADs have taken on the citizenship of their adoptive country and no longer have Korean passports. Earlier they had to get a visa
Visa (document)
A visa is a document showing that a person is authorized to enter the territory for which it was issued, subject to permission of an immigration official at the time of actual entry. The authorization may be a document, but more commonly it is a stamp endorsed in the applicant's passport...
like any other foreigner if they wanted to visit or live in South Korea. This only added to the feeling that they were 'not really South Korean'. In May 1999, a group of KADs living in Korea started a signature-collection in order to achieve legal recognition and acceptance (Schuhmacher, 1999). At present (2009) the number of KADs long term residents in South Korea (mainly Seoul) is estimated at approximately 500. It is not unlikely that this number will increase in the following decade (International adoption from South Korea peaked in the mid 1980s). A report from Global Overseas Adoptees' Link
Global Overseas Adoptees' Link
Global Overseas Adoptees' Link is an organization founded on March 5, 1998, in Seoul, South Korea 'run by adoptees, for adoptees'.-History:...
(G.O.A.'L) indicates that the long term returnees (more than one year) are predominantly in their early twenties or early thirties.
The first ever association
Voluntary association
A voluntary association or union is a group of individuals who enter into an agreement as volunteers to form a body to accomplish a purpose.Strictly speaking, in many jurisdictions no formalities are necessary to start an association...
to be created for and by adult KADs, was the Swedish Adopterade Koreaners Forening (AKF) in 1986 (Hübinette, 1999). Since then, similar groups have emerged in most Western European countries, various US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
states and cities, as well as in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and Korea. Before this, most organized events and activities for KADs had been arranged and administered by adoptive parents and Korean immigrants
Immigration
Immigration is the act of foreigners passing or coming into a country for the purpose of permanent residence...
. These arrangements included culture camps and social gatherings, with a main focus on adoptive families
Family
In human context, a family is a group of people affiliated by consanguinity, affinity, or co-residence. In most societies it is the principal institution for the socialization of children...
and their children.
With the formation of the adult associations, KADs for the first time were gathering with others who shared a common experience, on their own terms and by their own initiative. KADs were making statements both for themselves and towards the public, that they were no longer child
Child
Biologically, a child is generally a human between the stages of birth and puberty. Some vernacular definitions of a child include the fetus, as being an unborn child. The legal definition of "child" generally refers to a minor, otherwise known as a person younger than the age of majority...
ren, but independent adult
Adult
An adult is a human being or living organism that is of relatively mature age, typically associated with sexual maturity and the attainment of reproductive age....
s with their own unique concerns and issues. Together, these varied groups and associations have tried to raise awareness locally and internationally about KADs' unique position in relation to South Korea and their adoptive countries. In 1995, the first KAD conference was held in Germany; in 1999, conferences were arranged in both the US and South Korea (Hübinette, 1999). During the last couple of years, numerous adult KAD conferences and social gatherings in various countries have been arranged, including world gatherings that draw participants from across the globe. In addition, works of KADs have become known both in art, literature and film-making. Other KADs have received celebrity status for other reasons, like Soon-Yi Previn
Soon-Yi Previn
Soon-Yi Previn or Soon-Yi Farrow is an American actress and wife of film director Woody Allen.-Early life and adoption:...
who is married to Woody Allen
Woody Allen
Woody Allen is an American screenwriter, director, actor, comedian, jazz musician, author, and playwright. Allen's films draw heavily on literature, sexuality, philosophy, psychology, Jewish identity, and the history of cinema...
, actress Nicole Bilderback
Nicole Bilderback
Nicole Bilderback is an Korean-born American actress, known for her recurring guest roles on the television programs Dark Angel and Dawson's Creek, and the films Bring It On and Bad Girls From Valley High...
, Washington State Senator Paull Shin
Paull Shin
Paull Shin is a Korean American member of the Washington State Senate, the first Korean American ever elected to the Washington State Legislature. He is a member of the Democratic Party, elected from the 21st Legislative District, in southwest Snohomish County...
, and former Slovak rap-artist Daniel Hwan Oostra.
Race and national control
Most of these adopted South Korean children grew up in white, upper or middle class homes in suburban settings. In the beginning adoptive families were often told by agencies and ‘experts’ to assimilate their children and make them as much as possible a part of the new culture, thinking that this would override concerns about ethnic identity and origin. Many KADs grew up not knowing about other children like themselves (Meier, 1998). The first generation of KADs have now reached adulthood. Every year, South Korea welcomes back a few of the children it has sent abroad for adoption. Among the adult KAD returnees are Swedes, Americans, Danes, French, Belgian etc. In this respect the so-called re-Koreanization of the KAD's is often reproduced in South Korean popular media (eg. the blockbuster 'Kuk'ka Taep'yo/National Representative/Take Off). The 're-Koreanization can be reflected in Korean ethnic based nationalism (both North and South of the 38th parallel). Even in its capacity as a global economy and OECD nation, Korea still sends children abroad for international adoption. The proportion of children leaving Korea for adoption amounted to about 1% of its live births for several years during the 1980s (Kane, 1993); currently, even with a large drop in the Korean birth rate to below 1.2 children per woman and an increasingly wealthy economy, about 0.5% (1 in 200) of Korean children are still sent to other countries every year.To stem the number of overseas adoptions, the South Korean government had introduced a quota system for foreign adoptions in 1987. And under the system, the nation reduced the number of children permitted for overseas adoption by 3 to 5% each year, from about 8,000 in 1987 to 2,057 in 1997. The goal of the plan was to totally eliminate foreign adoptions by 2015. But in 1998 the government temporarily lifted the restrictions, after the number of abandoned children sharply increased in the wake of growing economic hardships (Shin, Korea Herald, 1999). Notable is a focused effort of the current South Korean government (2009) to seize international adoption out of South Korea (with the establishment of KCare and the domestic Adoption Promotion Law (2009).
For several decades, the South Korean international adoption program provided homes for more orphans per state than any other country in the world. Some called it a national shame considering the country's economic prosperity, but domestic adoption is rare in this nation that clings strongly to patriarchal bloodlines (Elliott, 2002). Official numbers show that approximately 170,000 Koreans have been adopted by North American, European and Oceanic peoples (Overseas Korean's Foundation), but the actual numbers could be as high as 200,000. It is a curious fact that Scandinavians are much more likely than those of other countries to adopt South Koreans, especially when population in Scandinavian nations is taken into account (see statistics here
International adoption of South Korean children
The international adoption of South Korean children is a recent historical process triggered initially by casualties of the Korean War after 1953...
).
Independent identity
Based on experiences of discriminationDiscrimination
Discrimination is the prejudicial treatment of an individual based on their membership in a certain group or category. It involves the actual behaviors towards groups such as excluding or restricting members of one group from opportunities that are available to another group. The term began to be...
and feelings of alienation
Social alienation
The term social alienation has many discipline-specific uses; Roberts notes how even within the social sciences, it “is used to refer both to a personal psychological state and to a type of social relationship”...
both in South Korea and in their adoptive societies, some KADs have increasingly begun to see themselves as separate and different from both South Korea and the culture of their adoptive countries. As (visible or cultural) 'minorities
Minority group
A minority is a sociological group within a demographic. The demographic could be based on many factors from ethnicity, gender, wealth, power, etc. The term extends to numerous situations, and civilizations within history, despite the misnomer of minorities associated with a numerical statistic...
' within both societies, they are dispersed around the world, but they still belong to a unique culture (with multiple subcultures and factions inside) and common identity. The creation of a KAD culture emerged from ethnogenesis, the evolution of a new ethnic group
Ethnic group
An ethnic group is a group of people whose members identify with each other, through a common heritage, often consisting of a common language, a common culture and/or an ideology that stresses common ancestry or endogamy...
through the blending of other cultures with subsequent creation of a new and distinct culture (Ignance and Ignance, 1998: 140) which is made up of more than merely the sum of its parts. Depending on how to define 'ethnic group', in its simplest form, it means that members identify themselves as belonging to the same general category, which again can be subdivided depending on various classification systems. Identity is more about self-identification than clear-cut, scientific boundaries. Multiculturalism
Multiculturalism
Multiculturalism is the appreciation, acceptance or promotion of multiple cultures, applied to the demographic make-up of a specific place, usually at the organizational level, e.g...
is also key to the KAD 'ethnic group'. Despite the diverse experiences and even origins of its members, many KADs still manage to maintain a common identity based on shared experiences and circumstances.
Creation of KAD ethnicity and culture started with KADs themselves. In reclaiming their own culture and heritage, KADs aimed to overcome feelings of not belonging in either South Korean culture or in the cultures of their adoptive countries. For example, among the first generation of KAD, local adoption policies stressed the importance of full assimilation, the idea of 'a better life', removal and replacement of Korean names, language
Language
Language may refer either to the specifically human capacity for acquiring and using complex systems of communication, or to a specific instance of such a system of complex communication...
and culture, a lack of respect for South Korean heritage, racism, and discrimination. Upon their return to South Korea, KADs sometimes felt pressure to be 'more Korean', learn Korean language, and be interested in South Korea and Korean culture.
Transcending these narrow paradigms of identity and cultural belonging is the first step towards forging a meaningful and fulfilling form of KAD identity. Recognizing that KADs comprise their own ethnic/cultural group (which cannot be simplistically distilled into a dichotomy of 'Koreans' or '_____'), enables them to embrace their identity and heritage in a way that is not constrained by the stereotypes, expectations and preconceptions of either Korean or adoptive societies. That is the point from which KADs can educate themselves and later the world about who and what KADs really are, and thus dismantle myths and stereotypes and move beyond notions of inferiority about belonging.
Contemporary activism
Since international adoption from South Korea took off in the 1950s, KADs are still a very young population. The current adult KADs are among the very first generations in creation of KAD culture, so a lot of the path has to be made while walking it. Since full assimilation was the leading ideology for parents raising the first generation of KADs (Beckwith, 2002), many did not become aware of or further explored their South Koreaness until adulthood, meaning that even adult KADs have a lot to learn. Some have legally reverted back to their Korean names at an older age, while others use it in their e-mail addresses and computer id's.Some defining characteristics of KAD culture include leaving Korea as an infant or child and being raised outside of the birthcountry, the majority also outside of Korean culture and race, varying degrees of assimilation into new environments, and being given new names and a new mother tongue. However, KADs often remain tied in some ways to their origins, in addition to incorporating experiences from upbringing and new influences. Many common experiences and issues are faced by a large number of KADs, such as racism, stereotypes, feelings of alienation, conflicts about cultural belonging, lack of biological ties, lack of medical history, and unknown past and heritage. Adult KADs are spread out across the globe, but there seem to be a tendency to cluster around certain geographic locations, often larger cities or areas with a high concentration of Asians/Koreans already existing. This has created a number of geographic anchors for the KAD community. Some of these centers are Los Angeles, San Francisco, the Minnesota Twin Cities, New York, and Toronto in North America, Seoul in Korea, and Stockholm, Amsterdam, and Brussels in Europe.
As a result of growing up in predominantly Caucasian areas, some KADs avoided other Asians in childhood and adolescence out of an unfamiliarity and/or discomfort with Asian cultures. These KADs sometimes express a desire to be Caucasian like their families and peers, and strongly identify with white society. As a result, meeting South Koreans and Korean culture might have been a traumatic experience for some (Meier, 1998). However, other KADs, often those raised in racially or culturally diverse communities, grew up with ties to the Korean community and identify more strongly with the Korean aspect of their identities.
Increasingly, adoptive families have relied on an expanding network of resources (adoption agency post-adoption services, Korean culture camps, mentoring programs, Korean language programs, etc) to incorporate Korean culture into the adoptive family's life and to build ties for the KAD with other KADs and with Korean Americans from an early age. Many adoptive parents today seem to explicitly recognize the importance of helping the KAD to claim a tie to South Korea and Korean culture, and such families often choose to "adopt" Korean culture into their entire family structure via family trips to South Korea, family, Korean language lessons, etc. Some adoptive parents, however, go to extreme of appropriating the KAD experience, presenting themselves as the 'experts' in the area.
Only recently have adult KADs been able to unite and come together in organized ways in order to claim a space and an identity for themselves, opposed to the original beliefs that they would eventually assimilate and become part of the mainstream adoptive culture (Beckwith, 2002). Included in this unification is outreach to younger adoptees, such as volunteering as camp counselors and mentors at Korean culture camps. Many of these initiatives originated from efforts by adoptive parents with younger children, and now have grown into KAD-run enterprises.
One thing that distinguishes KADs from most other groups is the fact that the majority of KADs are not raised by 'their own,' but instead by parents and families of another culture and background. In addition to being racial minorities in society KADs are also minorities in their own families, making it hard for some to turn to adoptive parents for support and advice, particularly regarding issues of racism and stereotyping. Nor do most share their adoptive status with adoptive parents. This has led some KADs to themselves adopt children either from South Korea or elsewhere, while others find spouses and significant others who are also KADs. Many make close friendships and ties with other KADs. This might indicate a strong need to identify with and bond through common experiences when creating their own families and social networks. These enclaves of tightly knit KAD organizations, friends, families and couples is the foundation which future KAD nationalism and ethnicity will build upon.
In 2007, Asian American filmmaker and Korean American adoptee Joy Dietrich
Joy Dietrich
Joy Dietrich is a Korean-born American journalist, writer, filmmaker, and producer. Her 2007 film Tie a Yellow Ribbon won several awards. Although born in Korea, she is an American adoptee, who grew up in the United States....
released her first full length feature film titled Tie a Yellow Ribbon
Tie a Yellow Ribbon
Tie a Yellow Ribbon is a 2007 award winning film by Korean-American director and writer, Joy Dietrich.It portrays the complex emotions for young adult Asian American women through its main character, Jenny, as a Korean adoptee in America struggling thorough life and difficult relationships...
that follows the story of Jenny Mason (Kim Jiang), a Korean adoptee and aspiring photographer as she spends her days are with white friends and colleagues and her nights with white men. She has no contact with her Midwestern family due to a childhood indiscretion with her white brother, Joe (Patrick Heusinger). She rejects any attachment, dumping men as fast as she can pick them up. Yet she longs for a connection that would make her feel at home—a home that she has lost and is forever seeking. The movie aired nationwide on PBS in May, 2008.
See also
- Global Overseas Adoptees' LinkGlobal Overseas Adoptees' LinkGlobal Overseas Adoptees' Link is an organization founded on March 5, 1998, in Seoul, South Korea 'run by adoptees, for adoptees'.-History:...
- Asian-Nation: Adopted Korean- and Asian-Americans
- International adoption of South Korean childrenInternational adoption of South Korean childrenThe international adoption of South Korean children is a recent historical process triggered initially by casualties of the Korean War after 1953...
- http://www.adoptioninstitute.org/proed/korfindings.html
Sources
- Beckwith, Ryan Teague, Adopting a Culture: Woman's Struggle for a Korean Identity, 2002, accessed 11/11/02
- MEIER, DANI ISAAC, LOSS AND RECLAIMED LIVES: CULTURAL IDENTITY AND PLACE IN KOREAN-AMERICAN INTERCOUNTRY ADOPTEES, GRADUATE THESIS, UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA, MARCH 1998
- Hübinette, Tobias, Korea - adoptionens historia, Um & Yang, 3/1999, accessed 09/11/02
- Ignace, Marianne, Ignace, Ron, First Nations Studies 101-3 STUDY GUIDE, Simon Fraser University, 1998: 18, 140
- Jang, J, Adult Korean Adoptees in Search of Roots, Korea Herald, 1998/12/10
- Kim, Dae-Jung, President Kim Dae Jung's Speech: October 23, 1998 at the Blue House, in Chosen Child, vol 1, no 5, May 1999: 15-16
- Schuhmacher, U, Korean's Jungle Book Story, Korea Herald 1999/05/06