Legal policies, international conventions, and research papers regarding adoption standards and unwed mothers' rights in Korea.
On August 5, 2012, the Korean government enacted the Special Adoption Act. These revisions were lobbied into law by adoptee and unwed mothers' groups (such as KUMFA, Adoptee Solidarity Korea, and Truth and Reconciliation for the Adoptee Community of Korea) in order to help bring Korea up to the standards of the Hague Convention on the Rights of the Child.
In April 2012, this paper was officially submitted to the United Nations. It identifies two major failures within the Republic of Korea: failure to regulate abuses in adoption processes and failure to protect social and economic rights.
Published in 2010 by the Korean Unwed Mothers Support Network (KUMSN) and Korea Women's Development Institute, this study reviews government welfare services provided to unwed mothers and evaluates how effectively they address financial hurdles.
This 2007 Korean adoptee resource book contains official information from the Korean Ministry of Health and Welfare regarding domestic adoption promotion measures, as well as requirements and procedures for intercountry adoption.
Adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1989, this convention specifies the civil, political, social, health, economic, and cultural rights of children, requiring member countries to act in the best interests of the child.
The Hague Adoption Convention protects children and their families against the risks of illegal, irregular, premature, or ill-prepared adoptions abroad by establishing national Central Authorities and safeguards.
