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Troll_Bait
Joined: 04 Jan 2006
Location: [T]eaching experience doesn't matter much. -Lee Young-chan (pictured)
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 Posted: Thu May 10, 2007 8:55 pm Post subject: Gov't encourages domestic adoptions -to no results |
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http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200705/200705110023.html
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Gov't Working to Encourage Adoptions
As part of its efforts to encourage adoptions in Korea, the government is marking the second anniversary of Adoption Day on Friday. Those efforts haven't produced tangible results yet since Koreans generally consider family lineage very important.
From 1958 to 2006, 227,983 Korean children were adopted, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said on Thursday. Of those, 70 percent or 150,944 were adopted by foreign families and 30 percent or 68,939 were adopted by Korean families.
The number of adoptions by foreigners hit a low of 1,899 last year, the first time the figure fell below 2,000. But the number still accounts for more than half of all adoptions last year.
In January, the government introduced new a system to prompt more domestic adoptions. Under the new rules, children can only be adopted by overseas families once they have waited at least five months for a Korean family.
The government pays subsidies of W100,000 (US$1=W925) to local families who adopt children under 13. To further ease the financial burden, the subsidies will be given to families who adopt children under 18.
However, prejudice against adoption is strong in Korea. Girls account for 64 percent of all domestic adoptions because some families worry that adopted boys might try to claim the family inheritance.
Korean families also turn their backs on physically challenged children. Last year, 98 percent or 713 of handicapped children were adopted by overseas families, while only 2 percent or 12 children were adopted by Koreans. |
I don't understand why the Korean government makes it harder and harder for foreign families to adopt Korean children, because it's obvious that Koreans don't want to adopt, and that isn't going to change anytime soon. It's a crime being committed against these children, in the name of nationalism. I guess it's better for children to rot, parentless, in orphanages than to have to be loved and cherished by a family of disgusting foreigners. |
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wylies99
Joined: 13 May 2006
Location: I'm one cool cat!
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| Posted: Thu May 10, 2007 9:03 pm Post subject: |
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| Punish the innocent. |
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Milwaukiedave
Joined: 02 Oct 2004
Location: Goseong
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| Posted: Thu May 10, 2007 9:09 pm Post subject: |
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Troll,
I agree with you. Most Korean families won't accept an adopted child into their family. My wife and I have been seriously thinking about adoption, but this really discourages me. If Koreans won't adopt their own, then why prevent others from doing the same. We disclosed to her family that we are thinking about adoption. While they have been very kind to include me in their family, they aren't happy about the adoption idea. To me it doesn't make any difference if the child was mine biologically or adopted (my wife feels the same way).
I guess there are other countries that people would be better off looking at to adopt from other then Korea. It's sad that the ones that suffer are the children themselves. |
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billybrobby
Joined: 09 Dec 2004
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| Posted: Thu May 10, 2007 9:22 pm Post subject: Re: Gov't encourages domestic adoptions -to no results |
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| Troll_Bait wrote: |
I don't understand why the Korean government makes it harder and harder for foreign families to adopt Korean children, because it's obvious that Koreans don't want to adopt, and that isn't going to change anytime soon. It's a crime being committed against these children, in the name of nationalism. I guess it's better for children to rot, parentless, in orphanages than to have to be loved and cherished by a family of disgusting foreigners. |
To be fair, we'd have to know how many kids ultimately end up (or will end up) unadopted to know how bad this problem is. Korean nationalists are very worried about the low birth rate in Korea. In order to keep the glorious economy going, Koreans are going to need every young person they can get, foreign or otherwise. So the idea of precious Korea blood being shipped overseas is galling to the average minjokist, in part because it represents another foreigner that will need to be shipped in.
Or at least that's my 2-bit analysis of it. |
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Adventurer
Joined: 28 Jan 2006
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| Posted: Thu May 10, 2007 9:51 pm Post subject: |
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| I can't really understand the opposition to adoption if you don't have children. If someone cannot conceive, for example, there is nothing wrong with it. However, Korea is still influenced very much by image and race. Adopting a child is like admitting that you failed somehow, you were imperfect, and could not conceive... Many Koreans would probably be embarassed for people to find out that they adopted a child. They wouldn't want people to know. Also, I heard if a son has lost his father, but still has his mother he might find it a bit difficult to marry a Korean girl. It is not impossible, of course, but it makes it difficult whereas in the West people wouldn't care if your father is around or not. |
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Yu_Bum_suk
Joined: 25 Dec 2004
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| Posted: Thu May 10, 2007 9:59 pm Post subject: |
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| Milwaukiedave wrote: |
Troll,
I agree with you. Most Korean families won't accept an adopted child into their family. My wife and I have been seriously thinking about adoption, but this really discourages me. If Koreans won't adopt their own, then why prevent others from doing the same. We disclosed to her family that we are thinking about adoption. While they have been very kind to include me in their family, they aren't happy about the adoption idea. To me it doesn't make any difference if the child was mine biologically or adopted (my wife feels the same way).
I guess there are other countries that people would be better off looking at to adopt from other then Korea. It's sad that the ones that suffer are the children themselves. |
It's pathetic but at least almost all of the babies do eventually get adopted. And think about it - less than 4,000 babies up for adoption in a country of 48 million last year? That seems like an incredibly low number.
The real current travesty in Korea is the number of children who get abandoned when their parents divorce. I suspect the number is far higher than c. 4000 / year. |
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Milwaukiedave
Joined: 02 Oct 2004
Location: Goseong
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| Posted: Thu May 10, 2007 10:48 pm Post subject: |
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I thought the number of unwanted children is much higher then that. It's good to know there's not a huge number of children waiting for adoption.
There is not only the parents that get divorced and give up their kids, but also the ones that are given up because they are developmentally disabled. I saw a program about developmentally disabled children who were in orphanges in Korea. I don't even want to know how many parents have given up kids for that reason. |
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