By Lee Jin-woo
Staff Reporter

The government is likely to provide foster parents with 2 million won ($2,000) in financial support to promote domestic adoption.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare and several domestic social welfare organizations including Holt Children's Services have discussed several support programs for domestic adoption including the 2-million-won aid in the past few years.

``Parents often feel awkward when they hear they must pay 2 million won to adopt a child,'' Lee Chang-won, who is in charge of public relations at Holt, told The Korea Times.

``We all know that those adoptive parents are making a warm-hearted, and quite difficult, decision, but they still have to pay to realize their good intentions,'' he added.

Lee expressed his wish that the government provide more aid packages for foster parents and adopted children, including temporary paid leaves for parents and changed attitudes of society toward domestic and international adoption.

``Not only mothers but also fathers should be given enough time, at least a few months, to get used to their new child,'' he said. ``It's regrettable that still many people are prejudiced about domestic adoption here.''

Han Youn-hee, president of the Mission to Promote Adoption in Korea (MPAK), said she has discussed with health-welfare ministry officials several additional measures for families with adopted children in addition to the 2-million-won aid and temporary leaves.

The government is considering providing some 70,000 won and free education services, especially kindergarten classes, for each adopted child, she said.

Last year, the ministry actually included some 1.5 billion won in order to carry out several plans to promote domestic adoption in this year's

budget, but the National Assembly rejected the budget plan without proper reason, she argued.

Han said about 10,000 children are abandoned by their parents annually, waiting for either domestic or international adoption.

"Currently some 19,000 children under 18 are staying in welfare facilities such as orphanages nationwide. Once they become 18, they are required to leave their facilities,'' she said.

The MPAK has cooperated with some 24 local organizations that facilitate domestic and international adoptions, providing classes to prevent prejudice against adopted children at elementary and junior high schools nationwide. It has also run a weekly television show on child adoption with the local broadcaster CBS every Thursday.

Last year, 1,461 of 9,420 children, who stayed at children's welfare facilities, found homes in the country while 2,001 were sent to foreign countries where their new parents are waiting for them, according to the ministry.

There were 247,764 Koreans adopted between the period after the Korean War (1950-53) and 1997, with 54,639 being adopted by Korean families and 193,125 adopted abroad, according to the ministry.

After years of effort, May 11 has been designated as ``Adoption Day.'' The government and local organizations have been busy preparing events to celebrate the first adoption day.

things@koreatimes.co.kr

03-17-2006 17:57

DISCUSSION

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