Adoption Agencies and Information for
South Korea

South Korea has the world’s oldest international adoption program. More than 200,000 children have been adopted from that country since the mid-1950s.  In 2006 approximately 1400 children were adopted and Korea now ranks as the fourth-largest county placing children with U.S. families. Normally, Korean infants are relinquished at birth and live with a foster family until they are adopted. Over 90% of babies adopted from Korea are between 4 - 12 months old at the time of adoption.

South Korea’s special adoption law No. 2977, Section 9 (A), requires the use of adoption agencies for overseas adoption of Korean orphans, and Section 10 (A) provides that such adoption agencies must be authorized by the Ministry of Health and Social Affairs.

The government office responsible for adoptions in South Korea is the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare. The address is as follows:
Population & Children’s Policy
Anyang Construction Tower 3rd Fl.
1112-1 Dalan Dong, Tongan Gu, Anyang
Tel: +82-31-440-9654

KOREA EMBASSY AND CONSULATES IN THE UNITED STATES:
Embassy of Korea
Consular Section
2450 Massachusetts Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20008
Tel: 202-939-5600

For more information about adoption from this country and about adoption agencies that can assist you, please visit the websites below.  Prospective adoptive parents are advised to fully research any of the adoption agencies they plan to use for adoption services.

*Footnote: The Joint Council for International Children’s Services (JCICS) is one of the oldest and largest membership associations of licensed non-profit international adoption agencies.  All of the above adoption agencies are listed as members of JCICS.

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This site is intended as a very general guide to assist adopting persons who are considering the adoption of a child from a foreign country.  External links should not be construed as an endorsement of the site, the adoption agencies listed, or of the information contained within the sites.