Starting from the period after the Korean War and continuing today, more than 100,000 Korean children were adopted around the world. As they get older, many of them decide to conduct a search for their birth families in Korea, beginning what often turns out to be a long, difficult and emotional process for all involved.
Today's guest, Katelyn Hemmeke, is currently in Seoul as a Fulbright researcher, speaking to adoptees about their experiences conducting a birth family search. She has found that it's often incredibly difficult to find information that can help track down birth families, and that even when a search is successful, the emotional journey is not over. Learn more about the challenges adoptees face when they decide to conduct a birth family search in this week's episode of Korean Kontext.
Photo taken by Andrew Le.
South Korea as a Liberal Democracy: Darcie Draudt
Mongolia and the Korean Peninsula: Dr. Alicia Campi
East Meets South: Ahn Choong-yong and Jagganath Panda
Peace Corps Story: Kathleen Stephens
Korea, Japan, and the Missing Advocate: Kristin Vekasi and Jiwon Nam
The Great Successor: Anna Fifield
Defending Korea, from the Nakdong to the Chosin: Colonel John Stevens
How China Sees the Korean Peninsula: Lee Seong-hyon
At Best Unique, At Worst Delusional - North Korea's Special Economic Zones: Theo Clement
Explainer: The Political Origins of Korean Baseball
Explainer: The State of Korea's Childcare Industry
North Korea's Illicit Trade Winds: Hugh Griffith
Why North Korea Won't Budge: Ken Gause
Going Back to The Source: Jeffrey Robertson
[Rebroadcast] Valuing Age and Experience: Yongmin Cho and Quan Nguyen
Explainer: Ultrafine Dust Crisis
[Rebroadcast] We Built This Bureau: Elise Hu
From Maximum Pressure to Maximum Leverage: Daniel Wertz
[Rebroadcast] In Defense of KORUS: Phil Eskeland, Troy Stangarone, and Kyle Ferrier
When North Korea Embraces Mobile Technology: Yonho Kim
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