South Korean President apologises to international adoptees following Truth and Reconciliation Commission findings

SEOUL — In a landmark moment for South Korea’s international adoptee community, President Lee Jae Myung has issued a formal apology for the systemic failings and trauma caused by the nation's historical overseas adoption practices. The apology, reported on Thursday 16 July 2026, follows a significant investigation by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) which concluded last year. Speaking to those impacted, President Lee offered what he described as a “heartfelt apology and words of comfort” to adoptees and both birth and adoptive families. The President stated he felt “heavy-hearted” regarding the “anxiety, pain and confusion” many individuals have endured after being sent abroad as children under circumstances that are only now being fully understood. The commission's findings have validated the long-held claims of advocacy groups and individuals like Mia Lee Hansen and Marie Wang, who discovered their personal records had been fabricated. Hansen, who was adopted to Denmark in 1987, shared with Al Jazeera that her birth family in Gwangju had been told she died at birth. It was only through a DNA match in 2020 that she was able to reunite with her father in 2022, who initially believed the news of her being alive was a joke. While many adoptees continue to seek justice and transparency from agencies like Korea Social Service (KSS), the government's recognition of these past wrongs marks a turning point. Advocacy groups have long argued that the assumption that adoptees ended up with better lives was used to justify the separation of families—a narrative similar to those used against Indigenous peoples globally. This formal acknowledgement by the South Korean state represents a move toward restorative justice for thousands of people living across the world.