STATEMENT OF THE NETHERLANDS KOREAN RIGHTS GROUP

Dear TRC, the lack of documents is not equal to the lack of evidence.

Accept all cases, from the Netherlands.
The NLKRG acknowledges the general conclusions on the responsibility of the state
and the first 56 cases that the TRC reported. This is historical and reaches far beyond Korea's borders.

We require the TRC to finalize their research
and provide conclusions to the other 367 TRC participants. TRC, the burden of proof must be with the State and not with the victims.

STATEMENT OF THE NORWEGIAN KOREAN RIGHTS GROUP (NKRG)

STATEMENT OF THE SWEDISH KOREAN ADOPTEES' NETWORK (SKAN)

My name is Hanna Sofia Jeong Johansson. I was adopted from South Korea to Sweden in 1976, when I was about four months old.

Today, I am standing here in Stockholm, Sweden, together with a group of people who are all affected by intercountry adoption:

• Fatima– adopted from South Korea

• Johan– Fatima’s partner

• Klara-Lee– Fatima and Johan’s daughter – behind the camera

• Tuva-Yo– Fatima and Johan’s daughter – behind the camera

• Bonnie– adopted from Chile

• Molly– adopted from India

We would like to extend our sincere thanks to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Korea (TRC) for accepting the 367 cases concerning alleged violations of human rights under the dictatorship, which we submitted almost three years ago.

We are pleased that, on 26 March 2025, the TRC concluded that the Korean state bears responsibility for the mass export of children that took place. To this day, no one knows how many Korean children were sent away for adoption. The TRC found that the Korean state failed to exercise adequate oversight over the adoption agencies, allowing them to take full control of our destinies. One of the reasons for this, according to the TRC, was that the agencies were under pressure to deliver a certain number of children for adoption each month in order to meet the demand from Western couples. The demand from the West far exceeded the number of Korean orphans available.

The TRC further concluded that South Korea has violated both its own constitution and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC).

The TRC’s findings mark a historic moment, and their impact reaches far beyond Korea’s borders. The Swedish adoption commission, which is set to release its findings in June, waited for the TRC’s press release in order to include its conclusions in their forthcoming report.

Altogether, adoptee organisations in 11 countries submitted 367 cases concerning suspected human rights violations in relation to our adoptions. To date, the TRC has determined that the rights of 56 adoptees who reported their cases were violated.

22 cases from Sweden were submitted to the TRC. Of these, 21 were submitted by the Swedish Korean Adoptees’ Network (SKAN). I stand here today as the founder and coordinator of SKAN. In one of the 22 cases, the TRC concluded that the adopted person’s human rights had been violated. The remaining 21 cases are still awaiting investigation.

SKAN chairwoman Hanna Sofia Jeong Johansson speaks in front of the Embassy of South Korea in Stockholm, Sweden

Although we are grateful for the TRC’s important work, we are deeply disappointed that, after two years and seven months, 311 of the 367 cases remain uninvestigated.

Each case represents an individual adoptee – but also their Korean parents and siblings, their partners, children and friends – all of whom are affected.

In 42 cases, the TRC concluded that there was insufficient evidence to establish that the complainant’s human rights had been violated. We argue that it is the Korean state that should bear the burden of proof and demonstrate to all 367 of us that our rights were notviolated. That burden should not fall upon us, the victims. It is the Korean state and its investigative authorities who must prove that no violations of our human rights or of the Korean constitution have taken place. If they cannot, then we – the victims of unlawful practices, many of whom lack documentation – are once again victimised. Victims forced to continue living without knowledge of why we were adopted.

The legal documentation required for our adoptions included paperwork issued by Korean authorities. Therefore, it is the authorities’ responsibility to produce proof that each and every adoption was lawful. The inability to do so, in itself, constitutes a violation of international human rights conventions.

We urge the TRC to complete its work and investigate the remaining 311 cases – so that Korea does not fail us once again. In Chile, a similar inquiry was conducted, and criminal investigations are now underway. Korea would do well to take inspiration from Chile’s example.

The TRC’s work has drawn attention from the Swedish adoption commission. Similar investigations are ongoing in countries such as Norway and Belgium. There is clearly international interest in the work of the TRC.

From here in Stockholm, we call on the TRC to investigate all 367 cases and to fulfil its responsibility. Reconciliation can only happen once all of us have been told the truth about our adoptions.

Thank you.

Adoptee Lisa Woorim Sjoblom