The Ministry of Health and Welfare announced Wednesday that international adoptions will only be allowed after government review, as South Korea officially became a member of the Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Cooperation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption the same day.
Korea had announced it would make international adoption reforms in June, when it signed the convention.
The convention stipulates requirements and procedures for international adoption to protect children’s fundamental rights and prevent abduction, sale or child trafficking. Established in 1993, it currently has a total of 107 member states.
According to the Health Ministry, an international adoption will proceed only if a suitable family cannot be found within the country, the ministry’s adoption policy committee reviews and approves the adoption case, and the decision is recognized as being in the best interests of the child.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare will act as the central authority, working with other countries to evaluate the eligibility of children and adoptive parents.
It also added that adoptions legally established in Korea would be recognized and upheld in other contracting countries as well.
Meanwhile, the Justice Ministry announced it would introduce and implement a new visa for children without Korean citizenship who currently live abroad and have either been adopted into a Korean family or are in the process of doing so.
International standards require that adopted children are guaranteed permanent residence within the country of adoption. The new visa was proposed to meet this standard.
The visa allows a stay of up to two years with possible extensions. The ministry did not mention whether the children would eventually be given Korean citizenship.
Transnational /Transcultural Adoption Project 