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Presented by Madelyn Freundlich and Joy Kim Liberthal at the International Gathering of the First Generation of Korean Adoptees, September 10-12, 1999, Washington D.C. accompanying the Study of Adult Korean Adoptees Final Report. Click the "BACK" button on your browser to return to this page.
Introduction
This Gathering of the First Generation of Korean Adoptees, as we have been celebrating this morning, is the first of its kind. You -- more than 400 strong -- represent more than thirty states in the United States and several European countries. You are truly the first generation of Korean adoptees -- you became part of your adoptive families well before international adoption became the broadly accepted practice it is now in the 1990s. With the significant growth in the interest in international adoption over the past decade and the likelihood that international adoption will continue to grow as we enter the new millennium, what better time to learn from you -- the pioneering group of international adoptees? It is important to recognize that the experiences of individuals adopted internationally from South Korea - as children, adolescents, and adults - have not been studied extensively. In particular, little is known about adult Korean adoptees, and your experiences growing up in your adoptive families and new countries, your perceptions of your ethnic identity, your views of your connections with your Korean heritage and culture, and your interests related to obtaining information about your birth families and searching for birth family members. To address this clear gap in our understanding of international adoption, our Institute, in conjunction with Holt International Children's Services, undertook a survey of the participants in this Gathering -- a survey which 167 of you were good enough to complete. The purpose of this survey was to gain insight into the experiences of Korean adoptees and from the knowledge gained from the survey, to provide guidance to the field of international adoption, both in understanding the effects of past practice and shaping international adoption practice for the future. Joy Lieberthal, whom I will introduce in a moment, will share with you the findings of this ground-breaking survey. But let me say a word or two about the survey results and what we believe they mean. First, it is important to recognize that the results of this survey are not advanced as representative of the broad population of approximately 141,000 Korean individuals adopted by families in the United States and Europe since 1955. We expect that for the individuals who through self selection took part in this survey, adoption is an important issue and that your responses may be biased in a more positive direction than would be the case with a representative sample. Nonetheless, we believe that these survey results are very important -- they provide information from the largest sample of adult Korean adoptees gathered to date; the survey addresses some of the most pressing issues in contemporary international adoption from the perspective of adult adoptees; and the results provide international adoption practice with meaningful guidance as professionals strive to prepare adoptive parents, support adoptive families, and provide individuals who are internationally adopted with the services that are most relevant to their needs. We want to thank all of you who completed the survey. I believe that you will see from Joy's presentation that completing the survey was well worth the effort. NOW, LET ME INTRODUCE JOY LIEBERTHAL. Joy Kim Lieberthal was adopted at five years of age and is the oldest of four Korean adoptees in her family. She recently received her masters degree in social work from Columbia University. Joy is a policy analyst at the Adoption Institute where she works on a range of policy and practice issues that affect adoption -- both domestically and internationally. She is also a board member and mentorship director of also-known-as, inc. Joy returned to Korea in 1993-1994 and volunteered at the Orphans' Home of Korea and continues working with the children of that home.
The adoption of children internationally by US and European families began just after World War II in response to the number of children orphaned as a result of the civil war in Greece and the aftermath of the world war in Germany. The second and largest wave of international adoption was of South Korean children as a result of the Korean War. The first wave of Korean children adopted by US and European families were of mixed race - Korean birth mothers and military fathers from different countries. Later, international Korean adoption continued because of a number of other factors: the growing demand for the adoption of healthy newborns; Korea's ongoing relationship with charitable organizations that opened orphanages in the country; Korean's unstable economic situation; the limited interest in adopting among couples in Korea; the perception that international Korean adoptions were successful; and internal challenges within South Korea related to establishing domestic child welfare policy in response to the large number of abandoned and orphaned children. Over the years, international adoption evolved into an important component of South Korean social policy over the course of almost 50 years. Korean adoption began officially in 1954 with a presidential order establishing Children Placement Services (presently Social Welfare Society). It is estimated that more than 100,400 Korean children were adopted by US families between 1955-1998. An estimated 141,000 Korean children were adopted world wide during that same time period. The South Korean Ministry of Health and Welfare reports that 42% of these adoptees are male and 58% are female. The South Korean government has worked diligently to establish connections with Korean children who were adopted internationally. Resources have been made available to Korean adoptees and their adoptive families to assist them in establishing closer ties to Korea. Although South Korea is committed to limiting the need to place Korean children with adoptive families abroad, the reality is that in all likelihood, intercountry adoption will continue at some level for children in Asia, Europe, and Latin America. The experiences of these children are likely to be similar to those of Korean adoptees, the largest contingency of international adoptees. The lessons that can be learned from Korean adoptees provide critical guidance to the field of international adoption. The experiences of Korean adoptees, as revealed in this survey and reported from the perspective of adulthood, provide information which will allow the field to examine international adoption in relation to race, culture, ethnicity, identity, and family and shape services and support for the growing number of children adopted from other countries and their multi-ethnic families.
Hello, and welcome. First, I just want to express how pleased and honored I am to be able to present this survey to you, my peers and fellow adoptees. So, from one adoptee to others and one who also completed a survey, the results of the Survey of the First Generation of Adult Korean Adoptees.
[slide 2]Who were the people who completed a survey?
As a group, three fifths (62%) of us lived in an orphanage at the time of adoption; a full third (33%) of us lived with foster families; and a small percentage (4%) of us lived with birth families. Those of us adopted at an older age (over the age of 3) were far more likely to have lived in an orphanage at the time of adoption. [slide 5] Our Adoptive Families' Profile
[slide 6] Ethnic Identity
One are of the survey explored was how Korean adoptees viewed themselves ethnically when they were growing up. More than one-third (36%) considered ourselves Caucasian; over one-quarter (28%) considered ourselves Korean-American or Korean-European; just under one-quarter considered ourselves American or European (22%); and fourteen percent viewed ourselves as Asian or Korean. One respondent reported that she was "still shaping" her identity and another revealed "I'm still a work in progress . . ."
[slide 9] How did we explore our Korean Heritage? Over half of you (90) indicated that you had taken advantage of opportunities to explore your Korean heritage while growing up.
Some of us did not explore our Korean heritage. One adoptee admits, "I refused because I was trying to fit in;" another stated, "Through my teen years, I was not interested in pursuing my heritage . . . there are so many variables to being a teen that my ethnicity was not an issue." However, a larger number of us reported exploring our Korean heritage as adults. The opportunities used to explore Korean culture were: involvement with Korean organizations (46%); studying or reading about Korean history and culture (40%); traveling to Korea (38%); active involvement with Korean friends or the Korean community (34%); and studying the Korean language (19%). One quarter of us reported that we had some knowledge of Korean, one respondent is fluent in the language. [slide 10] What were our thoughts of Korea More than half of the participants (57%) have visited Korea. 44% of us reported the experience to be very positive, with comments such as "[I was] treated like a guest of honor... people were warm, gracious, and hospitable;" another "...found the Koreans to be very kind and inquisitive." A little less than a quarter (22%) of us described a negative experience in Korea, sharing such comments as "I was basically ignored and not given any thought as to my worth;" another "...felt that I was looked down upon because I didn't speak Korean." About one-fifth of the adoptees reported somewhat mixed experiences, one person stated, "I found it interesting that Korean people were very friendly to me until I told them "I'm sorry I don't speak Korean" and then they . . . were rude." [slide 11] What experiences, if any, did we have relating to discrimination The majority of those who completed the survey reported that they had experienced some form of discrimination while they were growing up. Race (70%) was cited more often as the basis for discrimination than was adoption (28%). A number of you provided comments in response to the question of discrimination as you were growing up and thoughts you would share about that experience. The comments reflected a range of experiences. A few adoptees stated that they did not experience discrimination. Others recounted experiences with discrimination that they described as mild "The discrimination was mainly the minor kinds of teasing that many children experience because of their peculiarities. Mine happened to be because I was Asian"; some were persistent, and shared, "Very sad memories of the constant teasing of my ethnicity, more frequent in elementary school but more intense in high school"; and some were severe, one stated, ["It was very humiliating, degrading and painful"]. Some adoptees highlighted certain factors as most central to the discrimination they felt: ...with regard to....
Race: "Unfortunately, my parents were not particularly open-minded in the area of race despite having adopted two non-white children. They made racist comments to us about Koreans as well as other non-whites;" "The racism I experienced was enhanced because I felt like the people I most closely associated with . . . turned on me;" Stereotyping: "I had to be smart because I am Asian;" "Any discrimination I felt was because I was Korean and overweight. I didn't fit the 'tiny' Asian role;" "People tend to think you are really intelligent and a stereotypical nerd. I was discriminated against by Asians because I didn't speak my native tongue and discriminated against by Caucasians because of how I looked;" Gender: "Any discrimination I experienced was related to being female, not race or adoption;" A combination of gender and race: "It was mostly internalized attitudes towards gender and race combined that helped to foster [in me] an internal conflict between an assertive intellectual and a passive, shy Asian girl;" Physical appearance: "The pointing out of physical differences made me think I was ugly;" "Being called 'greasy haired' and 'chink' was hurtful;" "Because I am Amerasian, I was not Korean enough and not Caucasian enough;" "Growing up in a small white community, I was a 'novelty' but very few people associated with me;" "I wanted to be like [everyone else]. Instead, I was always catching attention [both positive and negative] for being different." [slide 12] Views of Discrimination Though so many of us experienced discrimination, the impact was varied - I think comments that many of you wrote best describes the essence of this subject matter.
"I learned early on not to obsess over things that I could not change. I couldn't necessarily change how others saw me, but I could change how I saw others and myself." "The teasing and discrimination by other children made me deny and hate my Korean heritage." "When I was younger, I tended to head off discrimination at the pass by poking fun at myself. Therefore, many of my friends felt it was okay to call me names such as 'squint eyes' or 'chink face' because I allowed it, even laughed about it." [slide 13] Social Relationships With regard to social relationships, a little more than half of us (57%) included Asians among our circle of friends, although close to one-quarter of us (24%) had Caucasian friends only, and one person reported having only Asian friends. There were small discernable changes in dating preferences over time. A larger percentage of male respondents reported a change in favor of dating more Asians. [slide 14] Search and Reunion
There were also questions about search and reunion. Our responses were somewhat divided in our interest in searching for our birth families. Slightly less than a quarter of us had undertaken a search or were in the process of searching. One-third of us stated that we were interested in searching but had not yet taken any step in that direction. The smallest group - 15% - were uncertain about their interest in searching. And close to one-third stated that we had no interest in searching. [slide 15] Reasons for searching and not searching The major reasons given for a desire to search were: to obtain medical histories (40%); curiosity (30%); to meet others whom we physically resemble (18%); to learn why we were placed for adoption (18%); to learn whether we have relatives, particularly siblings (16%); to fill a void or gain a sense of closure (16%); and to relay a message to our birth parents (10%). In those cases in which you stated that you wished to give a message to your birth parents, the messages were that you were well and happy or grateful to your birth parents for the decision they made "I would like to thank my mother;" another said, "I have a rich and full life;" and yet another said, "I am happy and not to worry." Four adoptees explained why they had no interest in searching: one said, "There isn't a need for me;" a second stated, "I mostly live in the present and the future;" a third, "I'm thankful that my birth parents gave life to me but I have no interest in meeting them;" and the fourth said, "I know that I was abandoned . . . always felt that my [birth] family cared enough for me to place me where someone could find me." [slide 16] What were some of the outcomes of searching? Fourteen respondents stated that they had obtained information about their birth families and 11 reported that they had had contact with their birth families. Of this latter group, 2 respondents had always had contact with their birth families and 3 were found as a result of search efforts by a birth family member. In all 3 cases in which the birth family initiated the search, the adoptee was older (over age 3) at the time of adoption. The 6 adoptees who had established contact with their birth families as a result of conducting their own searches reported the use of a number of resources, including the records at the Reception Center; City Hall records; the Holt agency in Korea; and advertisements in Korean publications. The outcomes of the reunions varied. In some cases, contact had been limited to letters and phone calls; in other cases, there had been one or more personal contacts. Two adoptees reported close relationships: "I discovered that I have been loved and missed all those years . . . I plan to submit applications for permanent visas for my brothers and their wives . . . we've talked of living our retirement years together" and another shared "[The] relationship has evolved over the last twenty-two years. Almost a normal relationship that any family may have." Two adoptees reported that it was very hard to sustain a relationship because of language barriers. [slide 17] I will close this part of the presentation with some more of the thoughts shared by you. Some reveal the positive aspects living as a Korean adoptee, while other indicate the negative. All, however different, are reflective of the complex nature of our experiences.
"My adoption experience was very negative. I lived in a number of foster homes and a group home. Family life [with my adoptive family] was pretty intensely negative. My life experiences have made me a survivor." "At the time when I grew up, there were, I believe, less resources for parents and children. For the parents, that lack of information on how to deal with these things leads to a lack of understanding; for the child, dislike of oneself. Lack of discussion led to self-hatred for me." "Discourage families from adopting who are unwilling to think of family as multiracial/multicultural and who want to move to predominantly white suburbs and rural areas." Finally, I would like to share one quote by an adoptee that may sum up the complexity of international adoption and the ultimate positive outcome that we hope for, for those who lives are touched by international adoption. "Not having a culture to match my gene pool has, thanks to everybody's pointing it out all the time, been a problem, but not an insurmountable one, not an unfruitful one, and not one that leaves me with regrets. The issue of culture should never stand in the way of a loving and dedicated adoption." The survey of the First Generation of Adult Korean Adoptees revealed that the experiences of Korean adoptees were rich and varied. I would like to thank all of you who chose to complete a survey and I look forward to personally meeting you this weekend. Thank you. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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