Since the 1950s, an estimated 200,000 South Korean children have been adopted internationally, almost half of which were put-up for adoption during the authoritarian rule of Park Chung-hee & Chun Doo-human; regimes which caused widespread poverty. Though international adoption practices can be found in other countries such as Argentina, Spain and Israel, South Korea’s case is especially unique as most adoptions were done trans-racially. In South Korea, homegrown adoption agencies helped to predominantly send children off to White families from Europe, Australia and Central America.
Comic book artist Meg O’Shea who herself is a South Korean foreign adoptee, has been chronicling her autobiographical experiences in online comic form. She was adopted by White parents from Australia, and like many others, have tried to return to South Korea to find her birth parents. Her comics cover everything from her experience of being let down by adoption agencies, social stigma and many more. They help to share the human rights abuses and injustices that foreign Korean adoptees have faced. This is why the comics by Meg O’Shea are aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal of Reduced Inequalities.
The Guardian has reported that currently a group of adult Korean foreign adoptees, led by the Danish Korean Rights Group (DKRG) an associate of South Koreans who were adopted into Denmark, are petitioning the South Korean government’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission to investigate the human rights abuses that they have faced at the hands of their adoption agencies. Recent findings have shown that many adoptees were unlawfully separated from their parents.
Former social workers have confessed to falsifying documents, making it seem like a child was abandoned when they had instead been surrendered. There have also been accounts where social workers would mislead or intimidate parents into surrendering their children. Today, these foreign adoption agencies continue to exist with multiple government regulations successfully dwindling adoptee numbers to 189 children in 2022. However, it is also important to note that all this is occurring at a time where South Korea has the world’s lowest birth rate. Which is why it is important for the public to be able to hear the stories of these adoptees, in order to prevent future injustices from happening.
Meg O’Shea’s autobiographical comics shed light on the complex and often painful realities faced by South Korean foreign adoptees, giving voice to a community whose experiences have been overlooked for decades. Through her personal journey, O’Shea highlights the systemic injustices of these adoptions, including falsified records, social stigma and the emotional toll of searching for birth families. Her work not only amplifies the call for accountability from adoption agencies and the South Korean government but also fosters public awareness to prevent future injustices. O’Shea’s comics stand as a powerful medium to advocate for adoptee rights and promote understanding of their lived experiences.
Find out more about comics by Meg O’Shea and their other initiatives on their website www.megoshea.com or Instagram @even.little.meg.