Adoption Voices

History

NEW Family Requirements
 
About the Children

Korea Adoption Laws

Adoption Process

Adoption Costs
  
Post-Adoption Services 

Humanitarian Aid in Korea

Family Testimonial

Families with Korean Heritage

ESWS Announcements

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Contact Korea Case Manager

Download an Adoption Application

Hague FAQ for New Adoptive Families

The republic of South Korea is located on a peninsula extending from the continent of Asia into the Sea of Japan.  Korea has a colorful history spanning 5,000 years and has been described as the "land of the morning calm."

Dillon International also has a long history with South Korea.  The agency began working with Eastern Social Welfare Society (formerly The David Livingston Foundation) in 1972 to place Korean children with U.S. families.

Working together, Dillon International and Eastern Social Welfare Society (ESWS) established a system of foster care for children waiting to be adopted.  This system has become a model for developing foster care systems in other countries.

Children are received at the ESWS's Babies Home and then placed in foster care while they await adoption. ESWS provides counseling services for birth parents considering relinquishing their child for adoption.  Most birth parents are young, single, and not prepared to provide a nurturing environment for their children because of economic disadvantages and the social stigma of single parenthood.

ESWS maintains two maternity homes -- Esther's Home and Sharon's Home -- where single women receive housing, medical care, and counseling during their pregnancy.  Some children available for adoption had birth mothers who stayed at the maternity home until their child's birth.

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• Beginning  on 1/1/2009, Dillon's Korea Adoption Program will ONLY be open to the following types of families:

  • Families residing in AR, KS, MO, OK, or TX who have previously adopted internationally -- whether or not they have previously adopted from Dillon International 

  • Korean heritage families living within our 5-state region or in CA (Korean heritage families living in other states will be considered on a case-by-case basis)

  • Families throughout the U.S. who are interested in adopting a child from Korea's Waiting Child Program
     

• Additional requirements also include:

  • Heterosexual married couples

  • Both spouses must be between 25 - 42 years of age at the time of application

  • No more than 4 children under the age of 18 already living in the home

  • No more than 10 years age difference between husband and wife

  • Couples must be married for at least 3 years. 

  • Only one previous divorce per applicant is accepted

  • Second marriages must be a minimum of 3 years in length

  • Couples may not be more than 30% overweight.  Applicants must not exceed the weight limit for their height at the time of application. (See chart below for Korea's guidelines.)

  • Applicants with a history of any kind of depression or mental illness must be stable for five (5) years with or without medication.  (Applicant(s) will need to provide a letter of confirmation from their appropriate physician and/or counselor.)

  • Families must be open to accepting a child of either gender

  • Concurrent adoptions will ONLY be accepted for Dillon families in process to adopt.

• Separate adoption program for families with Korean heritage

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• Children live in foster homes while waiting to be adopted

• Children will be between 8-12 months old at the time of arrival in the U.S.

• Boys and girls are available for adoption

• All children are under excellent medical care while waiting for adoption. Extensive medical information will be provided to a potential family.  Available children could have a wide range of needs, from minor to severe including: prematurity, low birth weight, birth mother drinking or smoking, and/or brief illness after birth.

• One of the many ways that Dr. Kim, Duk Whang (founder and former Chairman of the Board of Eastern Social Welfare Society/ESWS) demonstrated his fatherly devotion and dedication to each child in Eastern's care was to pray a special blessing over each child prior to his/her departure to their new adoptive family.  
  View a video of Dr. Kim Blessing a Child

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• After a family's Adoption Application-part II has been approved, they will be placed on a waiting list to start their home study

• Once notified by Dillon staff, families will complete a home study

• Upon approval of the family's home study, they will be placed on a  waiting list for a referral of a child

• The waiting time for a referral after home study approval is 12 months  

• The "wait time" can be shorter for families adopting a child from Dillon's Korea Waiting Child Program

• Families wait another 3 - 6 months after accepting an assignment of a child for notification that they may travel to receive their child or have their child escorted to the U.S.

• Families may choose to have their child escorted to the nearest U.S. port of entry or to their home airport

• Families who choose to travel to receive their child will make their own travel arrangements after they receive notification that their child is ready for travel

• Families may stay in ESWS' guest house while in Seoul for $50/day or in hotel accommodations close to the ESWS office if the guest house is unavailable

• Traveling families will not have a designated guide while in Korea, but ESWS staff may be available to assist families during their stay

• All paperwork for the adoption process is completed prior to travel, so families do not have any paperwork responsibilities for their child's adoption while they are in Korea

• Traveling families will have the opportunity to meet their child's foster family and spend time in the foster family's home

• Families may have several opportunities to spend time with their child, but will not receive their child until they are ready to depart for the U.S.

• Sharing small gifts of appreciation with the child's foster family is encouraged

• Families finalize the child's adoption in the U.S. after completing 3 post-placement visits with the family's caseworker, which usually takes 6 months

• Upon adoption finalization, the child becomes an automatic U.S. citizen

• Families are encouraged to apply for a Certificate of U.S. Citizenship from USCIS to verify their child's citizenship as soon as their adoption finalization is complete

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The government office responsible for adoptions in South Korea is the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare. The laws and regulations regarding foreigners adopting children from South Korea may be found on the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare's website or by visiting the U.S. State Department's website.

The Korean government also requires prospective adoptive families to work with one of four Korean agencies that have been approved by the Korean government.  Dillon International has a long-standing relationship with the following approved Korean agency:

EASTERN SOCIAL WELFARE SOCIETY, INC.
493, Changchun-Dong, Sudaemun-Ku, Seoul
Tel: 82-2-332-3941/5
Fax: 82-2-333-1588
http://www.eastern.or.kr

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Specific fees are only due after a particular service has been rendered in the adoption process and are considered non-refundable after payment has been received.  All fees are subject to change and services are charged at the rate that is current at the time of billing.

ESTIMATED KOREA PROGRAM ADOPTION COST:  $23,665 - $25,130
(Estimate includes agency, international, and travel / escort fees ONLY.)

Other fees and expenses families will incur during the adoption process include:

• home study and post-placement services,

• USCIS fees,

• ICPC fees,

• refundable deposit*, and

• out-of-pocket expenses related to the family's state of residence and the country adopting from.  

Dillon International has relationships with licensed home study providers across the U.S. and can assist families living outside our service area in locating a licensed agency near them for these services.  For families living in Oklahoma, Texas, Missouri, Kansas, Arkansas and southern California (counties of Santa Barbara, Ventura, Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino, Riverside, San Diego, and Imperial), Dillon International will provide their home study and post-placement services.  Dillon's home study & post-placement fees = $3,150 (in California slightly higher)

For a complete breakdown of expected fees and services for Dillon's Korea program, please see the Explanation of Fees and Services in Dillon's adoption application packet which can be downloaded from our website.

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*Each family adopting with Dillon International will also be required to pay a $500 Refundable Deposit which will be returned in a lump sum after the family provides Dillon with the following:
1) proof of a will
2) proof of their child's U.S. final adoption decree/ registration
3) copies of their child's in-country adoption documents (exception for Korea)
4) proof of their child's Social Security Number
5) proof of their child's U.S. Certificate of Citizenship
6) submission of all post-placement reports required by their child's birth country
Families must provide this documentation within three (3) years after their child arrives home in order to receive their refund.

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To qualify to adopt as a family with Korean Heritage at least one spouse must be of Korean heritage (includes Korean adoptees) and at least one spouse must be a citizen of the United States.  Korean heritage is defined as having been born in Korea to Korean parents or being the son or daughter of parents who were born in Korea.  Dillon International will have to seek pre-approval from ESWS to place children with Korean-American families living in states other than Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, or Texas.

Korean-American families adopting from Korea through Dillon International can expect to receive a referral of an infant with an overall shorter adoption process.

• After a family's Adoption Application-part II has been approved, they will be placed on a waiting list to start their home study

• Once notified by Dillon staff, families will complete a home study

• Upon home study approval, Korean-American families will be placed on a separate waiting list for a referral of a child

• Korean-American families will wait approximately 6 - 9 months
  for a referral

• Korean-American families wait another 3 - 6 months after accepting an assignment of a child for notification that they may travel to receive their child or have their child escorted to the U.S.

• Families may choose to have their child escorted to the nearest U.S. port of entry or to their home airport

• Families who choose to travel to receive their child will make their own travel arrangements after they receive notification that their child is ready for travel

• Families may stay in ESWS' guest house while in Seoul for $50/day or in hotel accommodations close to the ESWS office if the guest house is unavailable

• Traveling families will not have a designated guide while in Korea, but ESWS staff may be available to assist families during their stay

• All paperwork for the adoption process is completed prior to travel, so families do not have any paperwork responsibilities for their child's adoption while they are in Korea

• Traveling families will have the opportunity to meet their child's foster family and spend time in the foster family's home

• Families may have several opportunities to spend time with their child, but will not receive their child until they are ready to depart for the U.S.

• Sharing small gifts of appreciation with the child's foster family is encouraged

• Families finalize the child's adoption in the U.S. after completing 3 post-placement visits with the family's caseworker, which usually takes 6 months

• Upon adoption finalization, the child becomes an automatic U.S. citizen

• Families are encouraged to apply for a Certificate of U.S. Citizenship from USCIS to verify their child's citizenship as soon as their adoption finalization is complete

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• Dillon International believes that post-adoption support fosters an overall positive adoption experience for both adoptee and adoptive family

• Our long-term experience has shown us that adoptees develop a better sense of identity, purpose, and boost in their self-confidence from an understanding and appreciation of their birth heritage

• The agency provides a variety of activities and events to allow an adoptee and his/her family to celebrate his/her Korean heritage

• Dillon International also provides counseling and assistance to young adult adoptees who want to search for additional background information about their adoption or their birth family

• For more information on specific Korean heritage events, visit the post-adoption section of Dillon's website

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Dillon International is committed to improving the lives of Korea's children whether they are available for adoption or not. 

• Dillon's orphanCare International has a long standing partnership with Eastern Social Welfare Society in Seoul, South Korea.  Funding underwrites a babies hospital and home, a maternity home for unwed mothers, a state-of-the art center that cares for children with special needs plus a vocational training center to help young people as they age out of the orphanage to develop job skills so that they can live on their own.

• Funding also provides foster care to approximately 400 children who are available for adoption.

For more information on how Dillon is improving the lives of children in Korea and in other countries, please visit Dillon's humanitarian aid website: www.orphancareintl.org and click on Korea.

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DR. KIM, DUK WHANG ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT
Dr. Kim will retire from his position as Chairman of the Board for Eastern Social Welfare Society on February 28, 2009.  Dr. Kim cited growing health concerns as the reason for his retirement.  Dr. Kim, Doh Jong who is the youngest son of Dr. Kim, Duk Whang has been appointed as the new Chairman of Eastern's Board.  Dr. Kim, Duk Whang founded Eastern Social Welfare Society (then named Eastern Child Welfare Society) in 1972 and has been a strong advocate for Korea's less fortunate over the years. 

Dr. Kim states:  "...I am still sorry to leave Eastern because daily work to see adoptees' excellent growth and share time with their families gives me the utmost pleasure and meaningfulness in life.  Looking back upon the past 37 years at Eastern, it has been everything in my life.  Really, finding homes for many Korean needy children, and seeing them growing into good members of society have been the greatest impression and fruitfulness."

Dr. Kim leaves behind a beautiful legacy of love and selfless devotion to Korea's less fortunate children.  We will surely miss working with him, but look forward to continuing his legacy through the good work of Dr. Kim, Jin Sook, President of ESWS, and Dr. Kim Doh Jong, Chairman of the Board for ESWS.

Adoptive families or adoptees who would like to send a letter and/or card
to Dr. Kim on his retirement from ESWS may do so in care of
Dillon International, 3227 East 31st Street, Suite 200, Tulsa, OK  74105.

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NEW LEADERSHIP FOR ESWS

On October 31, 2007, Dr. Kim, Do Young, President & CEO of Eastern Social Welfare Society in Seoul, South Korea, retired after dedicating the past 10 years to the enhancement of ESWS's welfare services.  Dr. Kim is the eldest son of ESWS founder and Chairman of the Board, Dr. Kim, Duk Whang. 

Dr. Kim, Jin Sook, the only daughter of Dr. Kim, Duk Whang, assumed the leadership role of ESWS on November 1, 2007.  Dr. Kim, Jin Sook has worked in various roles at ESWS for over 20 years. Her keen intelligence and drive to never stop learning motivated her to seek a Ph.D. in Education, which she received in 2006. Dr. Kim will be ESWS's seventh president.  Her goal for the agency will be to maintain her father's vision of helping the less fortunate while expanding the types of services to accomplish this goal.   A faithful, creative, and energetic woman, Dr. Kim will use her remarkable leadership skills coupled with her strong Christian faith to guide ESWS into a new era of child and family welfare services. 

Dillon International has enjoyed our relationship with Dr. Kim, Do Young over the years and we wish Dr. Kim, Do Young a fulfilling and prosperous future.  We look forward to our continued excellent relationship with ESWS and working with Dr. Kim, Jin Sook to further ESWS's welfare services into the next generation.

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