Congratulations on your recent inauguration.
To:
The Honorable President Lee Jae-Myung
Office of the President of the Republic of Korea
22 Itaewon-ro, Yongsan-gu, Seoul 04383
via Chief Presidential Secretary Kang Hoon-sik
Dear President Lee,
Congratulations on your recent inauguration.
As intercountry adoptees, we sincerely appreciate and hold high expectations for your consistent dedication to democracy and universal human rights—values you have embodied as a human rights lawyer, mayor, lawmaker, and now President.
We are Emergency Action for Records Storage (EARS)—a coalition of intercountry adoptees, Korean civil society members, and archival experts—formed just one month before the planned transfer of adoption records, in order to advocate for transparency and accountability in this critical process.
For intercountry adoptees, adoption records are far more than administrative documents. They contain our Korean names, birth information, and essential details about our separation from biological families. These records explain how and why we were adopted abroad, and they remain the only official source of this information. These records serve as a real and symbolic link between Korean society and the over 200,000 adoptees sent to 27 countries around the world. They are the roots of our identity and the lifeline that connects us to our families and the truth.
The Special Act on International Adoption, revised in July 2023 for the ratification of the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption adopted in 1993, stipulates that all adoption records must be transferred from private adoption agencies to the National Center for the Rights of the Child (NCRC) under the Ministry of Health and Welfare by July 19, 2025. This transfer represents a long-awaited opportunity for many adoptees and marks a significant turning point, as it will allow them to access their records for the first time through a reliable public system.
The archival material – letters, photographs, handwritten notes, or personal items like baby clothes—is of immense sentimental and documentary value to adoptees. These irreplaceable records must be transferred with great care, preserved securely, and made accessible so that adoptees can reconnect with their families and roots.
However, we are deeply concerned about the inadequate protections currently surrounding this transfer. We have confirmed that the temporary storage site is located on the 4th floor of a private cold storage warehouse in the outskirts of Goyang City. It is not easily accessible by public transport, and the facility reportedly falls short of public archival standards regarding temperature and humidity control, fire safety, and digital security infrastructure. There is also a lack of space and capacity for the restoration, preservation, and digitization of records. Furthermore, the roadmap for a permanent adoption archive—originally discussed—appears to have been suspended, raising serious fears that this temporary site will become a long-term storage solution by default.
The current temporary facility does not meet the standards required to safeguard what are both personal records and historical national documents. Nor does it offer a suitable environment for adoptees to visit and view their own records. Nevertheless, we believe that the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the NCRC have the will and capability to meet the highest standards of care for these records.
Therefore, we respectfully urge you, President Lee, to intervene directly. We ask you to: Review the current facility’s climate controls, fire safety, digital preservation capacity, and information access services; Ensure transparent communication with adoptees about these conditions; Oversee the entire transfer process and officially explain the government’s plans and commitments to the global adoptee community.
The temporary facility must adhere to Korean legal standards for public record management. Moreover, these records are not ordinary administrative files—they are part of a collective archive representing generations of loss, separation, and the possibility of reunion across generations. They must be formally recognized and protected as a vital element of Korea’s heritage and global intercountry adoption history.
Specifically, we request that your administration immediately implement the following five key measures:
- Ensure transparency and allocate emergency resources.
Conduct a professional evaluation of the facility’s suitability;
Publicly release the full project timeline and current preparedness status;
Direct the Ministry of Economy and Finance to assign emergency funding for preservation infrastructure. - Guarantee a complete and responsible transfer.
Ensure that all materials—including original documents, letters, and photos—are transferred without omission;
Establish transfer records monitored by an independent external oversight body. - Build infrastructure that guarantees permanent preservation and access.
Ensure universal access to the facility, including for persons with disabilities;
Provide access to both digital and physical copies of records;
Install fireproof server rooms and implement a comprehensive metadata management system. - Provide services that uphold the dignity of all impacted by adoption.
Create quiet, private spaces for adoptees to view records;
Provide trauma-informed care and multilingual staff trained to support adoptees during record access. - Recognize the historical significance of adoption records and establish a permanent archive.
Officially designate adoption records as part of Korea’s national heritage;
Expedite the establishment of a permanent adoption records center dedicated to research, law, and human rights.
Mr. President, your government now stands at a critical crossroads. The decisions made in the coming weeks will determine not only how these records are preserved, but also how Korea chooses to relate to its global community of adoptees.
This is a rare opportunity for clear and courageous action. These records are not merely symbolic. They are sources of identity, history, and evidence of state action. Adoptees have long demanded access and accountability. This transfer is not just an administrative procedure—it is a test of Korea’s commitment to public responsibility.
We urge you to treat this transfer not as a logistical task, but as an opportunity to establish new standards for truth, transparency, and respect. This is not only about righting the past—it is about making a promise to the future.
With deep respect,
Emergency Action for Records Storage (EARS)
A coalition of intercountry adoptees and members of Korean civil society
https://earsonncrc.org
Postscript: This letter has been publicly released to the media for transparency and shared understanding. See here: “이재명 대통령, 해외입양인들이 간곡히 요청합니다!” We welcome dialogue with the Korean government and international partners to support a legal, dignified, and trauma-informed transfer of these historic records.