Open Letter to President Lee Jae Myung

For Immediate Release

Open Letter to President Lee Jae Myung

The North American Korean Rights Group Send an Open Letter to South Korea’s President Lee Jae Myung

WASHINGTON/OTTAWA/SEOUL – Dec. 8, 2025 – The United States Korean Rights Group (USKRG) and the Canadian Korean Rights Group (CKRG) - jointly known as NAKRGs - express disappointment that they were not included in an upcoming meeting with the Senior Presidential Secretary, noting that private, non-adoptee organizations were invited instead. They emphasize that North American Korean Adoptees have distinct experiences and should be included in future policy discussions on transnational adoption. They request formal inclusion in future consultations and provide recommendations for policy improvements to support reconciliation and healing.

NAKRGs have released A Path Toward Healing, a set of policy recommendations urging the Korean government to take concrete steps toward truth, accountability, and reunification for hundreds of thousands of intercountry adoptees.

The recommendations call for full access to unredacted adoption records, relocation of all adoption documents to the National Archives, and free online access so adoptees can finally verify their own histories. Adoptees also request government-funded birth family search support, expanded reunion assistance, and a broader DNA matching system that includes extended relatives and all Korean DNA databases.

The groups urge the government to launch a national media campaign to reduce stigma, encourage reunions, and help “bring adoptees home.” Additional proposals include stronger support for adoptees returning to Korea, reinstatement of Korean citizenship for overseas adoptees who wish to reclaim their identity, and sustained direct communication with Korean Rights Groups worldwide.

Collectively, these measures aim to provide truth, healing, and long-overdue recognition for Korea’s international adoptees.

To read the full letter and A Path Toward Healing please access the file on USKRG’s Google Drive.

The Korean Rights Groups of North America, U.S. Korean Rights Group (USKRG) and Canadian Korean Rights Group (CKRG) started as non-partisan, grassroots movements by a small group of like-minded volunteers living across the United States and Canada. We are Korean Adoptees, professionals, family members, and activists participating in our communities with the belief that international adoptions to the United States and Canada should be conducted ethically, free from monetary incentives, and in full compliance with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. Together, we advocate for Korean Adoptees’ right to know their origins, accountability of adoption agencies, worldwide awareness of adoptee issues, and information empowerment for Korean Adoptees.

If you would like more information about this topic, please email 

Yuh Koppel with the USKRG at uskoreanrightsgroup@gmail.com; 

Kelly Foston with the CKRG at canadakrg@gmail.com

Boon Young Han with the DKRG at boonyoung.han@danishkorean.dk (South Korea affiliate).