Perceptions of Birth Family Search: Interviews with Adult OverseasKorean Adoptees aboutPost-adoption Services

서지정보

· 발행기관 : 재외한인학회
· 수록지 정보 : 재외한인연구 / 26호 / 41 ~ 75페이지
· 저자명 : 한분영, 송다은, 켄지 쿠

초록

These years, an increasing number of overseas Korean adoptees are coming of age, many of whom have returned to Korea to search for their birth family. This means that adoptees have become more visible in Korean society. At its beginning, post-adoption services for adoptees were limited to one-off cultural events. However today adoption agencies, NGOs, private organizations and numerous individuals provide various post-adoption services extending far beyond cultural activities. This support recognizes the fact that adoption is a unique experience and a life-long process. The services and programs are often centered around themes such as identity and cultural heritage - of which birth family search has proven to be the most sought-after service.
This study examines issues related to birth family search among 42 adult overseas Korean adoptees residing in Korea. The purposive sample consisted of an equal number of men and women, Americans, and Europeans (including one Australian participant). The youngest participant was 23 years old, the oldest 47 years old. The participants had returned to Korea between 1996 and 2011. Through in-depth interviews on general post-adoption service needs, 7 themes about birth family search emerged. Among these, 4 themes related to stages of the birth family search process: Pre-search preparation, search, reunion and post-reunion. And 3 themes related to issues involved with birth family search: Post-adoption services are more than birth family search, emphasizing the importance of birth family search, and arguing for the right to access personal adoption records. These findings suggest that current guidelines for birth family search are unclear, and the cause of much distress and confusion during the search process. Different perceptions of birth family search among the members of the adoption triangle and adoption facilitators are also a cause for conflicts. While adult adoptees generally regard birth family search as an integrated part of their adoption process, adoption social workers tend to perceive this as an implicit critique of their professional work. Due to adoption social workers’ disengagement, adult adoptees have typically found that support from adoption agencies is largely inadequate. Many participants spoke in favor of an independent centralized birth family search system. On the basis of these findings, the authors suggest that a reform of the post-adoption service delivery system, including birth family search, address the current methods of case management and the social stigmatization of adoptees and their birth families. The newly established Korea Central Adoption Resources could play a significant role in this restructuring. Systematic efforts is necessary to promote social acceptance of adoptees and their birth families.

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