Me and mom circa 1973.An excerpt from our adoption agency on the children of Korea
In Korea today, the traditional family structure is strong and exerts a powerful influence on society. Unmarried mothers, in almost all circumstances, are met with significant disapproval from their families and from Korean society at large. Faced with the overwhelming task of raising their child alone, without hope of financial or moral support from either government or family members, many single Korean birthmothers choose to offer their child a better life through adoption.
Birthmothers are offered counseling and given choices in their adoption plan. Some birthmothers now specifically request international adoption. A birthmother may choose a family that is comfortable with some level of openness.
When families receive a referral of a child it often includes in-depth medical, developmental, and social history, as well as photos. Children are placed in foster care until the adoption paperwork is finished. When passport and visa are complete, the child is ready to travel.
We have been told that Korea’s foster care system is the best in the world. Foster parents receive in-depth training, support, and medical input from the child welfare agency. In turn, they provide extraordinary care and love for one or sometimes two foster children. There is usually a close-knit relationship between child and foster mother, as they are rarely- if ever apart. Children are typically 6-8 weeks old at the time of referral. Travel times remain at 10-14 weeks from acceptance and wait times for a referral remain at up to 6 months for a boy and 12 to 18 months for a girl.
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