When Kara Shroeder discovered her adoption papers labeled her as "abandoned," she knew her story was missing chapters. Born in South Korea and adopted by a U.S. family in 1976, Kara spent eight years searching for her birth family—a journey that mirrors the struggles of thousands amid South Korea’s newly announced ban on private overseas adoptions. 🕵️♀️🌏
From Paper Trails to Heartbreaks
"I’ve hit dead ends, but I won’t stop," Kara told NewspaperAmigo.com. Her adoption record, like many others, lacks transparency—a systemic issue South Korea aims to fix by ending private adoptions after decades of fraud and exploitation. The reform follows global scrutiny over unethical practices, including falsified documents and coerced family separations.
Why This Matters Now
South Korea’s move marks a historic shift. Once the world’s largest source of international adoptees, the country now prioritizes domestic adoptions and family preservation. For adoptees like Kara, it’s a bittersweet validation: "This reform is about truth," she says. "But for many of us, the search continues."
🔍 Did you know? Over 200,000 South Korean children were adopted overseas since the 1950s, often through private agencies with little oversight.
