By Antonia Giordano

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Despite renewed attention and government pledges to support adoptee rights, the National Center for the Rights of the Child (NCRC), now tasked with centralizing decades of adoption records, is facing scrutiny over mismanagement and technical errors.

Hopes were initially high when the NCRC took over from private agencies that had historically been reluctant to release documents. But adoptees have expressed frustration over delays, disorganization and technical mishandling of important documents.

Data uploaded to the NCRC’s Adoption Central Management System (ACMS) has already led to heartbreaking moments. In one case, an adoptee was falsely reunited with who they thought was their birth mother, before it was revealed the two were not related. There are also files that are still unaccounted for and may never be recovered.

So far, the NCRC has received documents from smaller child care facilities such as orphanages. On July 19, it is set to start receiving files from bigger private adoption organizations in Seoul.

The data is to be stored at a facility in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, which has triggered a number of complaints on its own.

Adoptees and advocates argue the building is unsuitable for archiving documents, some of which are fragile paper records dating back more than 50 years. On its lower floors, the building houses a major food delivery logistics center, and experts and adoptees worry that rather than preserving these invaluable documents, the storage conditions may accelerate their deterioration. A confidential source close to the project confirmed the facility’s shortcomings, noting that other sites better equipped to archive sensitive materials had been proposed.

A photo shows the interior of a building in Goyang that was selected to house an archive of documents related to international adoption, shared during a conference at the National Assembly in Seoul, July 7. Courtesy of Antonia Giordano

Concerns about the NCRC’s recordkeeping practices have spurred adoptees to organize. They formed Emergency Action for Record Storage (EARS), bringing together more than 23 international and domestic groups, with a goal of ensuring the voices of adoptees are heard.

A conference held by EARS at the National Assembly July 7 included attendance by National Assembly members, representatives of the Australian Embassy and officials from the Korean Unwed Mothers Families Association.

Lawmakers attend a conference on adoption at the National Assembly in Seoul, July 7. From left are Rep. Seo Young-seok, Rep. Nam In-soon and Rep. Yoon Hu-duk. Courtesy of Antonia Giordano

Kimberly McKee, an adoptee, emphasized in a prerecorded speech that the issue extends far beyond physical storage. “This is not merely about relocating paper,” she said. “It’s about shifting legal responsibilities.”

She said the NCRC bears legal responsibility for disclosing and providing information to adoptees, and that the institution was meant to work with adoptees, not undermine trust through negligence.

Oh Kyeong-han of Jeonbuk National University’s School of Records Management Education echoed these concerns. He noted the Goyang facility does not meet the basic environmental or procedural standards required to store important records, not only by international expectations but by Korea’s own national guidelines. He presented documentation outlining proper archival conditions, which are applicable even for temporary facilities.

Mary Bowers, an adoptee with an architectural background, added that the space fails basic safety and functionality standards. She cited poor lighting, heavy doors that swing inward, lack of emergency exit signs and inadequate ventilation systems for both people and documents. She also warned that the facility’s temperature control systems are not designed to run continuously, creating a high risk of mechanical failure within five years that could compromise both document integrity and visitor safety.

The attendees raised financial concerns about the feasibility of the Goyang facility as well. One attendee said, “The amount of people that this affects could repopulate a town similar to the size of Paju.”

Kim Oh-myo, a professor at Yonsei University, gives a presentation during a conference at the National Assembly in Seoul, July 7. Courtesy of Antonia Giordano

Among the additional concerns raised was the ongoing failure to implement a meaningful digitalization strategy. Sources alleged that the company initially contracted to digitize the records lacked proper experience and operated under two different company names.

There were also questions about the NCRC’s legal compliance. NCRC stated it required three months to sort and organize the documents for archiving, during which access to records would be limited.

Adoptees say this falls short of legal requirements regarding the disclosure of information as laid out in the Act on Special Cases Concerning Adoption, which says requests shouldn’t be denied outright. According to archival experts, inquiries and applications could be accepted as sorting continues. They say that at the very least there should be proper communication established between the applicants and the NCRC.

The conference invited NCRC leadership to address these issues. Though NCRC President Chung Ick-joong was present, he reportedly left before the panel discussion began and did not return during the more than three-hour session. While another official gave a presentation on behalf of the NCRC and fielded some questions, her presentation rehashed already public information, leaving critical issues raised by experts and sources unaddressed.

A photo shows details on a building in Goyang that was selected to house an archive of documents related to international adoption, shared by the NCRC during a conference at the National Assembly in Seoul, July 7. Courtesy of Antonia Giordano

The presentation also failed to explain why the NCRC selected a space requiring extensive construction and retrofitting over 20 other sites that were already well-equipped. Sources claim the chosen location was recommended by a realtor with no relevant experience.

One audience member, a child of an adoptee, explained it took nearly three years to obtain an F-4 visa — issued to overseas Koreans — due to difficulties proving lineage, a problem that access to records could have resolved. Others may need documentation for health, legal or citizenship issues.

As adoptees continue pushing for transparency, accountability and access to the truth of their own histories, these new challenges highlight just how fragile any progress remains.

Visit earsonncrc.org for more information.