Sweden finds trafficking in adoptions from Korea, China

Swedish authorities have found evidence of child trafficking and illegal adoptions involving children adopted from countries including South Korea and China, prompting calls for a ban on international adoptions.

According to the Associated Press and other outlets, Anna Singer, head of Sweden’s government-appointed Adoption Commission, said at a press conference on June 2 that an investigation launched in October 2021 revealed that child trafficking occurred during adoptions between the 1970s and 2000s. “Thousands of children from countries such as South Korea, China, Colombia, and Sri Lanka were abducted through illegal and unethical means,” she said, adding that Sweden should formally apologize and implement a ban on international adoptions.

The investigation began after allegations emerged that children adopted from South Korea were subjected to unethical adoption practices. According to the commission, many adoptees sent to Sweden were not given the opportunity to consent or were adopted without their full knowledge or voluntary agreement. In many cases, children were adopted with forged documents. Some files lacked signatures from biological parents, despite their identities being known.

Singer emphasized that international adoptions should be prohibited in principle, except when a personal relationship exists between the child and the adoptive applicant. She also recommended that the Swedish government establish a support center for adoptees and adoption-related issues and provide travel stipends of 15,000 Swedish kronor (approximately 2.17 million won) to help adoptees visit their countries of birth. However, the Swedish government has not yet indicated whether it will adopt these recommendations.


Eun-A Cho achim@donga.com