My sister always jokes that adopting a baby would be the ultimate souvenir from your travels. Andrew and I are not planning to adopt a Korean baby, although they are so incredibly adorable and nearly irresistable! I read an article from the Chosun Ilbo that says Korea is the largest exporter of babies for adoption to the U.S and 40% of Korean adoptions are to overseas parents, meaning only 60% stay in country.
More interesting tidbits from the article:
- According to the 2011 Annual Adoption Report to Congress released Friday, out of the total of 2,047 foreign-born children adopted by U.S. families from October 2010 to September 2011, 734 or 36 percent were from Korea. (The Philippines was a distant second with 216, Uganda third with 196, India fourth with 168, and Ethiopia fifth with 126.)
- Worldwide, China was the birthplace of most children adopted overseas. Next came Ethiopia with 1,727 and Russia with 970. Korea ranked fourth with 736.
- Korea still remains as a major exporter of babies due to child protection laws and public aversion to adoption. I've heard that Koreans are "family clan oriented" and sometimes aren't interested in introducing a child with an unknown background into their family.
- Also, there is still a strong stigma against single mothers in Korea. No "16 and Pregnant" tv shows here!
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