The Korean government is committed to reforming the system on adoption that presents a whole new world for a child

- The ministry held a ceremony to celebrate the 19th Adoption Day -

- The MOHW reaffirmed its commitment to reforming to a public adoption system,

revitalizing domestic adoption, and implementing a family-based care policy -

In keeping with the overall adoption system reform scheduled next July, the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW, Minister Cho KyooHong) proposed ways to revitalize domestic adoption and strengthen family-based care.

The Act on International Adoption and the Special Act on Domestic Adoption, enacted and revised last year, will go into effect July 19 next year. The Act requires the central and local governments to take responsibility for the entire adoption process, which has been handled by adoption agencies. According to the MOHW, the ministry will reform the adoption system, minimize international adoption, and set up ways for children to find new parents within the country.

First, given the high percentages of overseas adoption for children who are older than 24 months or diagnosed with medical conditions, the ministry will establish training requirements and other procedures for parents looking to adopt such children to expedite the process.

* In 2023, more than 50% of domestically adopted children were under 12 months (75 out of 150), whereas none of the children adopted abroad were younger than 12 months, and 99% of them were between 1 and 3 years old (76 out of 79).

The MOHW will also change and merge the consulting and application channel for prospective adoptive parents from adoption agencies to the MOHW and the National Center for the Rights of the Children (NCRC). The ministry will also create an introductory program on child adoption so that anyone interested in adoption can learn about and prepare for the adoption process even before filing an application.

The MOHW also plans to reform the foster care system to expand family-based care. To that end, the ministry plans to revise the Children Welfare Act to revamp the legal guardian system so that foster parents do not experience difficulties in opening bank accounts and applying for passports for their foster children.

The reform also includes enhanced childcare subsidies for foster families without blood relations to the adopted children to revitalize foster care, which will be implemented in consultation with the relevant local governments. The ministry will also launch parenting coaching programs for foster parents in need of assistance, including those with caring for abused children or children with disabilities (pilot project to begin in 2025) to help the children grow in more stable environments.

In addition, the existing child-rearing facilities will be revamped into tailored care facilities for children with special needs, such as those with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or borderline intelligence. Currently, 4,986 of the children at child-rearing facilities are children with special needs (41.9%, as of 2022), and the number has been going up for years. However, Korea still lacks a service delivery system to care for them. As such, the ministry will reshape the facilities into multi-purpose facilities serving local communities using the child counseling and treatment functions of the existing facilities. The efforts also include revamping the early care procedures, such as case conferences, to identify care measures suitable for the needs and situations of each child.

Furthermore, following the tragic death of a child in Suwon last June, the birth notification and protected childbirth systems adopted to prevent unregistered childbirths will go into effect this July. The MOHW will prepare for the launch of the systems by refining the relevant systems, including the collection of birth information, and building the consultation and support framework for pregnant women in crisis. In particular, regional counseling organizations and a dedicated helpline for pregnant women in crisis (1308) are to be set up to support consulting for families of origin as a top priority task and, if required, protected childbirth support will be provided.

On May 11 (Saturday) at 11 a.m., the MOHW held the 19th Adoption Day Ceremony (2024) at the Daeyang Hall, Sejong University (Gwangin-gu, Seoul).

Under the slogan, “Adoption preents a Whole World for Children,” the ceremony was attended by Deputy Minister for Population Policy Kim Hyeon-jun of the MOHW, NCRC President Ick-Joong Chung, adoptive families, and relevant agencies. During the ceremony, 15 people, including adoptive parents, adopted children, foster parents, and relevant personnel, received Presidential Commendations, Prime Minister Commendations, and Minister of Health and Welfare Commendations in recognition for their contribution to protecting the rights of adopted children and raising awareness on adoption. ///