Make Your Voice Heard by the TRC & Korean Government with 'Our Stories Matter'

USKRG
Jun 19
8 min read

Updated: 9 hours ago

'Our Stories Matter' is a USKRG project to create a series of short videos where adoptees share their story and perspective with the Korean Government and TRC in the press and at the Annual Truth Day Conference.

Article Last Updated: July 2026

TL;DR

Whether you consider yourself and activist or are submitting to TRC3 or not, please record a vertical one minute phone video (per one question) answering one or more prompts below. USKRG will show these videos at the Annual Truth Day Conference, in a press kit, and to members of Korean parliament. Sign the waiver. Attach up to 5 videos to the waiver form. You can also post your video(s) to your own social media for amplification by USKRG's channels. Prompts for videos:

What would you like TRC3 to know? (KADs & DoKADs)
What would you like Koreans to know about adoptees? (KADs & DoKADs)
If you have not met your Korean family, what would you like them to know? (KADs & DoKADs)
If you have met your Korean family, what does it mean to you? (KADs & DoKADs)
Give a brief description of yourself, your life, and how being adopted affects it. (KADs only)

The Details

What is 'Our Stories Matter'?

'Our Stories Matter' is a USKRG project to create a series of short videos where adoptees share their story and perspective with the Korean Government, TRC and in a press kit.

The videos will be translated into Korean and compiled into full-length videos for promoting Korean adoptees’ right to access their personal files and true backgrounds as well as fostering a deeper understanding of how transnational, trans-racial adoption has affected our lives. This is our opportunity to own our stories and change the narrative around adoption, which has historically been written by others.

'Our Stories Matter' is a USKRG project to create a series of short videos where adoptees share their story and perspective with the Korean Government, TRC and in a press kit.

Why participate in the project?

There are many misconceptions about adoptees. With this video series, USKRG wants to share the truth of adoption and adoptees with the TRC, Korea, and the world. We hope to dispel common myths and create greater acceptance of adoptees in Korea.

In Korea it is believed that adoptees have been given a better life in the countries to which we were sent. Better or not, it is a life different from what we were born to have. This is an opportunity to share your lived experience and put a face on adoption.

In Korea it is believed that adoptees have been given a better life in the countries to which we were sent. Better or not, it is a life different from what we were born to have. This is an opportunity to share your lived experience and put a face on adoption.

For many of our birth parents, there is shame in having given up a child for adoption. They don’t want their families or their community to know. But we should not be a shameful secret. Koreans should know that the birth parents who chose to give us up for adoption made a difficult choice at a difficult time. It should not reflect poorly on them. They should know that there are many birth parents who were coerced or do not know what happened to us. This culture of shame around adoption and adoptees hinders many of us from finding our birth families because they do not want to come forward. This is an opportunity to change minds and lift up our birth parents to a place of honor.

Who can participate?

Adoptees are not the only people who have been affected, so we invite all members of the adoption triad and DoKADs, with an emphasis on adoptee voices. DoKADs face many of the same challenges as their adopted parent. The questions of their ancestry and a feeling of not quite belonging are passed to the next generation. And sadly, if the adopted parent has passed, the DoKAD has no right to the records of their ancestral origins under the current laws and policies. For too long the lives of DoKADs have been overlooked.

Adoptees are not the only people who have been affected, so we invite all members of the adoption triad and DoKADs, with an emphasis on adoptee voices.

Why are you letting adoptive parents participate?

As the truth of the corrupt and illegal practices of transnational adoption have been exposed, many adoptive parents are left questioning their adopted person’s true origins and what part they could have unwittingly played in removing that person from their biological families. These voices need to be heard as well, but we are prioritizing the voices of adoptees and may curate any content that could be viewed as unhelpful or “saviorism.”

How will the videos be used?

We intend to show some videos at the Annual Adoption Truth Conference, which will take place in Seoul on September 9-10, 2026. Conference attendees will include members of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, members of South Korea’s Parliament, and adoptees and allies. We also intend to provide videos to media as part of a press kit - focusing on Korean media - with the intent that they write about our stories and share the videos on their platforms. The videos will also be available on the USKRG YouTube channel and on our website.

We intend to show some videos at the Annual Adoption Truth Conference. Conference attendees will include members of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, members of South Korea’s Parliament, and adoptees and allies.

Video prompts

Each video submitted should be a response to one of these prompts:

What would you like TRC3 to know? (KADs & DoKADs)
What would you like Koreans to know about adoptees? (KADs & DoKADs)
If you have not met your Korean family, what would you like them to know? (KADs & DoKADs)
If you have met your Korean family, what does it mean to you? (KADs & DoKADs)
Give a brief description of yourself, your life, and how being adopted affects it. (KADs only)
How does being the descendant of an adoptee affect you? (DoKADs only)
How do you feel about your adopted person not having access to their true records and origins? (Adoptive parents only. Please get the adoptee’s consent.)

Video How-To & Guidelines

Select the prompt or prompts you would like to respond to. (Make separate videos for each prompt.)
Think carefully of what you would like to say. We recommend that you write a script for yourself so that your message is clear and you stay within the maximum video length (1 minute). Consider using an app with a teleprompter to enable you to record without having to memorize your script. A teleprompter will also help you to keep your eyes on the camera. We recommend Instagram’s Edits, which is a free app.
Shoot on your phone in vertical video format. See below for tips on recording great audio and video.
Send in your video by using this form, agreeing to the participation policies, and uploading your videos to our secure file folder.
The deadline for submission is July 31, 2026.

Remember to consent and submit your video(s) by filling out this form!

Audio Recording Tips

Find a quiet location by sitting quietly for a few minutes and listening to your recording environment. If you can hear sounds such as traffic, birds, fans, pets and so forth, these will likely impact on the quality of your audio.
Remember to turn off any nearby mobile devices and sound-making devices. 
If you have a door to your recording location, be sure to close it and let your family know not to disturb you.
Choose a small space, preferably enclosed (with a door). It can also help to choose a location with carpeting and curtains.
If possible, use a headset or an external microphone, as opposed to a built-in recording device (aka your phone's microphone). If you don't have these things, recording at medium range to your mobile phone should be fine.
Record away from large hard surfaces such as windows or concrete walls and floors. Soft materials like curtains, rugs, and blankets help contain sound and prevent it from making an "echo."
For your own movement in the video, if you're in a desk chair please chair, do not swivel as this can create noise.
Avoid banging the table or fidgeting with your hands, as this can be picked up by a microphone.
Please listen to your audio playback to see if you could use a re-record. Please note that it is normal to have to make multiple recordings before you get one you're happy with.

Video Recording tips

Use a neutral, clutter-free background (such as a wall). Avoid bright, eye-catching or distracting images on the walls, as it can detract from the seriousness of your message.
Position yourself at eye level to your recording device, approximately an arm’s length away.
Make sure you leave a bit of space between the top of your head and the top of the frame, creating “headroom.”  
Your face should be in bright (but not harsh) and even light. If you’re in a room with a window, you may position yourself facing the window, so the light falls on your face (also known as natural lighting).
Please do not sit in front of a window using the window as a backdrop, unless you can close the blinds or drapes and no light gets in. In the case of bright backlighting, your phone's camera will compensate by letting less light in, which can darken or silhouette out your face, which is the subject of the recording.
Please ensure that you are the only person who appears in the video.

Start recording!

First say your full legal name and the prompt you are responding to. Pause a couple of seconds then begin your statement.
Be mindful to speak at a steady pace that is not too fast. Speak clearly and at a normal volume throughout.
Keep your eyes focused on the camera. An app with the teleprompter can help with maintaining your speaking cadence and eye contact.
Do not include captions. USKRG will caption the videos. Videos that are submitted with embedded captions will not be used.

Participation Policies

All participants must be at least 18 years of age or have obtained the consent of their parent or legal guardian.
All participants may only submit videos of themselves.
All submissions must be received by July 31st, 2026. Late submissions may not be considered.
Participants my submit individual videos for up to a maximum of 5 prompts.
Only the first name of participants will be disclosed in the final video compilation.
Participants understand that, if selected, their video will be presented at the Adoption Truth Conference and widely distributed among media contacts and the KRG network platforms. As a result their submission may be viewed by people known to them.
All participants understand that USKRG may edit their submission for length, clarity, formatting, translation, captioning, technical quality, or presentation purposes; combine their submission with other participant submissions; and use excerpts rather than the complete recording.
No participants shall receive any compensation, royalties, licensing fees, reimbursement, or other payment now or in the future for use of their submission.
Submission of a video does not guarantee that it will be included in the project. Videos may be rejected due to quality, length, format, quantity of submissions, and other factors.
Participants may request removal of unpublished content by providing written notice to USRKG. However, once the content has been published, complete removal may not be possible.

We appreciate your participation. We look forward to sharing your story!