{"id":477,"date":"2025-10-02T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-10-02T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/earsonncrc.nl\/?p=477"},"modified":"2026-04-01T21:01:48","modified_gmt":"2026-04-01T20:01:48","slug":"president-lee-jae-myung-issues-apology","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/earsonncrc.nl\/?p=477","title":{"rendered":"President Lee Jae Myung Issues Apology"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>On October 2nd, 2025, President Lee Jae Myung Issued an apology to international Korean adoptees via his Facebook.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-28f84493 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-column-is-layout-a151063b wp-block-column-is-layout-constrained\" 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data-wp-on--click=\"actions.toggle\" data-wp-on--keydown=\"actions.handleKeyDown\" id=\"accordion-item-1\" type=\"button\" class=\"wp-block-accordion-heading__toggle\"><span class=\"wp-block-accordion-heading__toggle-title\">original korean<\/span><span class=\"wp-block-accordion-heading__toggle-icon\" aria-hidden=\"true\">+<\/span><\/button><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<div inert aria-labelledby=\"accordion-item-1\" data-wp-bind--inert=\"!state.isOpen\" id=\"accordion-item-1-panel\" role=\"region\" class=\"wp-block-accordion-panel is-layout-flow wp-block-accordion-panel-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>&lt;\uad6d\uc81c \uc0ac\ud68c\uc640 \ud568\uaed8 \uc785\uc591\uc778\uc758 \uc0b6\uc744 \uc9c0\ud0a4\uaca0\uc2b5\ub2c8\ub2e4&gt;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\uc62c\ud574 10\uc6d4 1\uc77c\ubd80\ud130 \ub300\ud55c\ubbfc\uad6d\uc740 \u2018\ud5e4\uc774\uadf8 \uad6d\uc81c\uc544\ub3d9\uc785\uc591\ud611\uc57d\u2019\uc758 \uacf5\uc2dd\uc801 \ub2f9\uc0ac\uad6d \uc9c0\uc704\ub97c \uac16\uac8c \ub410\uc2b5\ub2c8\ub2e4. \uc55e\uc11c 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\ud2b9\ubcc4\ubc95\u300d\uacfc \u300c\uad6d\uc81c\uc785\uc591\uc5d0 \uad00\ud55c \ubc95\ub960\u300d\uc774 \uc2dc\ud589\ub418\uba74\uc11c, \uad6d\uac00\uc640 \uc9c0\uc790\uccb4\uac00 \uc785\uc591 \uc808\ucc28\ub97c \ucc45\uc784\uc9c0\ub294 \uccb4\uacc4\uac00 \ub9c8\ub828\ub410\uc2b5\ub2c8\ub2e4. \uc774\uc81c \uad6d\uac00\uac00 \uc785\uc591\uc778 \uc5ec\ub7ec\ubd84\uc758 \ub4e0\ub4e0\ud55c \uc6b8\ud0c0\ub9ac\uac00 \ub418\uc5b4 \ub4dc\ub9ac\uaca0\uc2b5\ub2c8\ub2e4.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\uad00\uacc4 \ubd80\ucc98\ub294 \uae34\ubc00\ud55c \ud611\ub825\uc744 \ud1b5\ud574 \uc785\uc591\uc778\uc758 \uad8c\ub9ac \ubcf4\ud638\uc640 \uc778\uad8c \uc911\uc2ec\uc801 \uc785\uc591\uccb4\uacc4 \ud655\ub9bd\uc5d0 \ub9cc\uc804\uc744 \uae30\ud574 \uc8fc\uae38 \ubc14\ub78d\ub2c8\ub2e4. \uc544\uc6b8\ub7ec \ud574\uc678\uc785\uc591\uc778\ub4e4\uc758 \ubfcc\ub9ac \ucc3e\uae30\ub97c \ub3c4\uc6b8 \uc2e4\ud6a8\uc801 \uc9c0\uc6d0\ubc29\uc548\ub3c4 \ud568\uaed8 \uac15\uad6c\ud574 \uc8fc\uae38 \ubc14\ub78d\ub2c8\ub2e4.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\uc785\uc591\uc778\uacfc \uc785\uc591\uac00\uc815, \uadf8\ub9ac\uace0 \uc6d0\uac00\uc815\uc774 \uc11c\ub85c \ud568\uaed8\ud568\uc73c\ub85c\uc368 \ub354 \ud070 \ud589\ubcf5\uc744 \ub204\ub9ac\uba70 \uc0b4\uc544\uac08 \uc218 \uc788\ub3c4\ub85d \uc804\ub825\uc744 \ub2e4\ud558\uaca0\uc2b5\ub2c8\ub2e4.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">English Translation<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>From October 1st of this year, the Republic of Korea has attained official status as a party to the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption. Alongside the over 100 nations worldwide that have previously ratified the Convention, it has pledged to the international community to prioritise the protection of children&#8217;s rights and to operate domestic and international adoption procedures transparently and responsibly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The path to this necessary commitment has not been one of which we can be proud of. The Republic of Korea once bore the shameful stigma of being a &#8216;child exporting nation&#8217;. From the Korean War until recent times, official records alone indicate that over 170,000 children were adopted abroad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Even in the 2020s, when we had ascended to the ranks of developed nations, over 100 children on average each year still had to leave for unfamiliar foreign lands. While some found loving adoptive families, many others endured lifelong suffering due to the irresponsibility and complicity of certain adoption agencies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It weighs heavily on my heart to contemplate the anxiety, suffering, and confusion endured by those overseas adoptees, cast alone into unfamiliar lands far from home at an age when they were still struggling with their native language.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Recent court rulings and investigations by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission have confirmed instances of unjust human rights violations occurring during the overseas adoption process. It is likely that the state failed to fulfil its responsibilities in certain aspects of this process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On behalf of the Republic of Korea, I offer my sincere apologies and words of comfort to the overseas adoptees, their families, and birth families who have suffered over the years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With the implementation last July of the Special Act on Domestic Adoption and the Act on International Adoption, a system has been established whereby the state and local governments are responsible for adoption procedures. The state will now become a steadfast support for all adoptees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We will spare no effort to ensure that adoptees, adoptive families, and birth families can live together, sharing greater happiness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">EARS Statement<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DPo5XAwk6A5\/?img_index=1\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DPo5XAwk6A5\/?img_index=1\">Posted to the EARS Instagram on October 10, 2025.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>President Lee Jae-myung\u2019s public apology to overseas adoptees and their families, shared ahead of Chuseok, has deeply resonated across our global community. For many, his words offered long-awaited recognition of the pain carried by adoptees, first families, and adoptive families alike, each shaped by decades of separation, secrecy, and loss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We receive this apology as a meaningful gesture that opens the door for truth-telling, repair, and collaboration. Reconciliation, however, requires more than words. It calls for concrete steps that acknowledge the past and prevent future harm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As adoptee advocates, descendants, and allies, EARS asks the Korean government to accompany this apology with lasting and measurable action:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Guarantee immediate and unredacted access to all adoption records for adoptees, their descendants, and families seeking truth.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Establish a reparations process that includes state supported DNA testing, funded family tracing, and mental health and legal support to assist those seeking reconnection and justice.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Establish a third Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC3) to investigate human rights violations in adoption and recommend pathways toward justice and restitution.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Shift resources from overseas adoption toward family preservation and care-based reform so that no child is ever separated from their family because of poverty, stigma, or lack of support.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Create a permanent national archive for all adoption-related files and guarantee long-term public stewardship of these records.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>This moment must not become another symbolic gesture that fades with time. It is an opportunity for the Republic of Korea to demonstrate genuine leadership by confronting its adoption legacy with courage and integrity. Adoptees, families, and allies around the world are watching for action that transforms apology into justice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We encourage all adoptees, first and adoptive families, and community allies to continue this conversation by responding to President Lee\u2019s original Facebook post with your stories, your hopes, and your calls for change. We encourage you to share in your own language, and if possible, include a Korean translation so your message reaches both the president and a wider Korean audience. Together, an apology can serve as the foundation for accountability and collective healing.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>On October 2nd, 2025, President Lee Jae Myung Issued an apology to international Korean adoptees via his Facebook. English Translation From October 1st of this year, the Republic of Korea has attained official status as a party to the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption. Alongside the over 100 nations worldwide that have previously ratified the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":485,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"give_campaign_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[40],"tags":[56,46],"class_list":["post-477","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-activity-updates","tag-policy-update","tag-statements-letters"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/earsonncrc.nl\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/477","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/earsonncrc.nl\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/earsonncrc.nl\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/earsonncrc.nl\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/earsonncrc.nl\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=477"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/earsonncrc.nl\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/477\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":513,"href":"https:\/\/earsonncrc.nl\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/477\/revisions\/513"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/earsonncrc.nl\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/485"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/earsonncrc.nl\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=477"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/earsonncrc.nl\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=477"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/earsonncrc.nl\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=477"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}