In a historic move aimed at closing a tragic chapter of “adoption diplomacy,” the South Korean government has officially declared it will completely cease international adoptions by 2029. This decision comes immediately after United Nations investigators expressed “deep concern” over Seoul’s failure to seek the truth and provide reparations for serious human rights violations spanning decades.
The “zero” plan and policy shift
On Friday, December 26, 2025, South Korea’s Ministry of Health and Welfare announced that the country will implement a roadmap to phase out international adoptions over the next five years, aiming to bring the figure to zero by 2029 at the latest. Vice Minister of Health and Welfare Lee Seuran stated that the government will focus on strengthening domestic welfare policies to ensure children are cared for within their homeland.
Data indicates a distinct shift: in 2025, South Korea approved only 24 international adoption cases, a modest figure compared to approximately 2,000 cases in 2005 and an annual average of over 6,000 cases during the 1980s.
This move also coincides with South Korea’s ratification of the Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption, effective from October 1, 2025. This is viewed as a turning point, transitioning from a private-led system to one under strict state supervision.
UN pressure and historical shadows
The South Korean government’s announcement came just hours after the UN Human Rights Office published Seoul’s response to international recommendations. The UN has urged South Korea to develop concrete plans to address the suffering of adoptees sent abroad with falsified records or abused by adoptive parents.
Previous investigations, including those by South Korea’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission, have exposed a heartbreaking reality: during the adoption boom (particularly in the 70s and 80s), thousands of children were “exported” like commodities. To meet demand from Western countries and reduce the burden on social welfare, past military governments enacted special laws that removed court oversight and granted excessive power to private adoption agencies.
The result was countless falsified records. Children with living parents were recorded as “abandoned orphans” to facilitate processing. Identities were swapped, causing many adult adoptees returning to find their roots to fall into despair as they could not locate their biological families.
Apologies and the path forward
Previously, in October 2025, South Korean President Lee Jae-myung issued an official apology for state mismanagement of the international adoption program, acknowledging that “unjust human rights violations” had occurred.
However, in its latest response to the UN, the South Korean government primarily emphasized future reforms rather than addressing past consequences. Seoul cited a 2011 law that restored court oversight and recent steps taken to centralize authority within the government. Nonetheless, officials acknowledged that expanding investigations and increasing compensation for victims will depend on legislation enacted in the future.
The decision to completely end international adoptions marks the conclusion of a 70-year era, during which approximately 200,000 South Korean children were sent to families in the West. For many of them, this is a necessary but belated step for the nation to face its responsibility in protecting its own citizens.