By Kang Hyun-seok

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Nine female adoptees residing in Sweden will visit Gwangju from October 13 to 17 to meet the local community and search for their biological parents. From top: Ki Frost Cotti (Korean name Lee Ki-bok), Elisabeth Nihlund (Kim Mi-sun), Charlotta von Seth (Jeon Ja-young). / Courtesy of Gwangju Metropolitan City

Ki Frost Cotti, 55, who was adopted from Korea to Sweden, was originally named Lee Ki-bok. She was found in Yeosu, South Jeolla Province, on March 2, 1972. Born on May 1, 1970, she has a childhood scar on her left shin.

Maria Heimer, 57, whose Korean name is Kim Sun-ae, was born on August 5, 1968, and found in front of the Shinmangwon welfare facility in Gwangju on December 27 of the same year. At the time, a note indicating her birth date was found with her.

From the late 1960s to the early 1980s, many children from Gwangju and South Jeolla Province were adopted to Sweden. Decades later, some of them are now returning to Gwangju to search for their roots. Though more than 50 years have passed, they are releasing old adoption records and faded photographs, hoping to meet their Korean families.

The Gwangju Metropolitan Government said on October 12 that nine women adoptees from Sweden, all members of the Stockholm Korean Adoptees Association, will visit Gwangju from October 13 to 17 to look for their biological families.

These women were either found in Gwangju and South Jeolla Province or placed in local shelters before being adopted through the Gwangju branch of the Korea Social Service Society (formerly known as the South Jeolla Province branch of the Korean Social Welfare Society). Sweden has the third-largest population of Korean adoptees in the world, with about 10,000 people of Korean origin currently living there.

The nine adoptees said, “We have each lived our own lives in Sweden, but in our hearts, there has always been the question, ‘Where was I born?’ and ‘Could my family still be alive?’” They publicly shared the information they have, their Korean names, the places they were found, and the circumstances of their adoption, in hopes of finding their families.

Karina Wallskog Dahlin, 54, whose Korean name is Seo Jung-sook, was born on March 10, 1971, according to records, and her family registry lists Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, as her birthplace. Her mother reportedly died shortly after childbirth, and her father’s whereabouts are unknown. She is believed to have been entrusted to her maternal grandmother in Gwangju, who, due to financial difficulties, placed her in a local shelter on May 22 of that year.

Charlotta von Seth, 47, was found near the Daerim Shopping Center in Gyerim-dong, Gwangju, on September 18, 1981, when she was three years old. She was sent to a shelter and adopted in January 1983. Her Korean name was Jeon Ja-young, and she is believed to have been born on March 20, 1978.

Elisabeth Nihlund, 58, believed to have been born on September 19, 1967, was found on a rural road in Hampyeong, South Jeolla Province, on December 16, 1968, and adopted the following year.

Ulrika Hübner, 54, was found on a street in Jangseong County, South Jeolla Province, on June 1, 1971, when she was about two months old, and was later adopted.

Anna Bleyde, 59, whose Korean name is Kim Hak-bo, is believed to have been born on June 16, 1966, and entered an orphanage in 1968.

Lee Min-sun, 53, who continues to use her Korean name, was found in Suncheon, South Jeolla Province, on November 9, 1972, and sent to a temporary infant shelter in Gwangju. Her recorded birth date is August 25, 1972, and she was given the name Lee Hyung-ja by the shelter.

Malin Bergström, 57, known by her Korean name Han Ok-hee, is believed to have been born on May 5, 1968. She was found in front of Cheongju City Hall in North Chungcheong Province on March 23, 1969, and later admitted to the Gwangju branch of the Korean Child Welfare Society (now the Korea Social Service Society) before being adopted.

During their visit, the adoptees plan to revisit the shelters and facilities where they once stayed, seeking clues that may lead them to their families or relatives. On October 15, they will also hold a public gathering at the Gwangju Visual Content Center, where they will share their personal stories and reflections with local citizens on what it means to search for one’s roots.