earticle

영어

These years, an increasing number of overseas Korean adoptees are coming of age, many of whom have returned to Korea to search for their birth family. This means that adoptees have become more visible in Korean society. At its beginning, post-adoption services for adoptees were limited to one-off cultural events. However today adoption agencies, NGOs, private organizations and numerous individuals provide various post-adoption services extending far beyond cultural activities. This support recognizes the fact that adoption is a unique experience and a life-long process. The services and programs are often centered around themes such as identity and cultural heritage - of which birth family search has proven to be the most sought-after service. This study examines issues related to birth family search among 42 adult overseas Korean adoptees residing in Korea. The purposive sample consisted of an equal number of men and women, Americans, and Europeans (including one Australian participant). The youngest participant was 23 years old, the oldest 47 years old. The participants had returned to Korea between 1996 and 2011. Through in-depth interviews on general post-adoption service needs, 7 themes about birth family search emerged. Among these, 4 themes related to stages of the birth family search process: Pre-search preparation, search, reunion and post-reunion. And 3 themes related to issues involved with birth family search: Post-adoption services are more than birth family search, emphasizing the importance of birth family search, and arguing for the right to access personal adoption records. These findings suggest that current guidelines for birth family search are unclear, and the cause of much distress and confusion during the search process. Different perceptions of birth family search among the members of the adoption triangle and adoption facilitators are also a cause for conflicts. While adult adoptees generally regard birth family search as an integrated part of their adoption process, adoption social workers tend to perceive this as an implicit critique of their professional work. Due to adoption social workers’ disengagement, adult adoptees have typically found that support from adoption agencies is largely inadequate. Many participants spoke in favor of an independent centralized birth family search system. On the basis of these findings, the authors suggest that a reform of the post-adoption service delivery system, including birth family search, address the current methods of case management and the social stigmatization of adoptees and their birth families. The newly established Korea Central Adoption Resources could play a significant role in this restructuring. Systematic efforts is necessary to promote social acceptance of adoptees and their birth families.

한국어

해외로 입양된 한국 입양인이 성년이 되면서 한국으로 귀환하여 친부모를 찾는 경우가 증가하고 있다. 본 연구는 한국에 거주하고 있는 42명의 해외입양인을 대상으로 심층면접 하고, 해외입양인의 진가족찾기와 관련된 주요한 이슈를 분석하는데 주요한 목적이 있다. 본 심층면접에 참여한 42명의 대상자는 성별과 출신지역의 비율이 같다. 또한 연령은 23~47세까지 분포 하고 있다. 한국에 귀환한 시기도 1996년부터 2011년까지인 것으로 나타났다. 현재 한국에서 해외입양인을 대상으로 시행되고 있는 해외입양인 사후 관리 서비스(post adoption service)는 주로 친가족찾기와 밀접하게 연관되어 있다. 따라서 본 연구는 해외입양인들에게 가장 중요한 이슈라고 할 수 있는 친가족찾기에 관한 중요성과 해외입양인이 자신의 입양기록을 열람할 수 있는 권리에 주요한 연구의 초점을 두고 있다. 또한 연구결과 사후 관리 서비스 제공자들은 성인 해외입양인과 그들의 친가족을 위해 보다 장기적인 지원책이 필요하다고 할 수 있다.