[dac_cincy]

I am jumping over from the Guatemala forum to post a question for friends:

They are considering adopting from Korea- they and I have no idea where to start with agencies- would you please PM with Agencies that you would recommend or agencies to avoid? I was under the impression that Korea was closed to international adoption.

Thanks so much for your help,

[Max'smom]

There are only a few agencies that are licensed to work in Korea and they are all reputable. However, different agencies work with somewhat different rules and some are more expensive than others. Since agencies vary by which states they can operate in, you are likely to find out more information if you figure out which agencies work in your state and then ask specifically about them. You can find this out either by reading previous posts or by looking at the resources on Adopting from Korea - An Adoptive Parent's Guide to Korean Adoption.
Good luck,
MM

[nancyinoh]

What state do your friends live in? That is the place to start, as the above poster wrote.

If you post the state, families from that state can post here or send PM's of suggestions.

Nancy

[sak9645]

Korea is OPEN to international adoption.

HOWEVER, the number of available children has been declining, with the increasing prosperity of the country, changes in attitudes towards unmarried parenthood, changes in attitudes towards adopting, etc. The changes are particularly noticeable when it comes to healthy infants.

Also, very recently, Korea announced a major effort to promote domestic adoption. As an example, it will be requiring children to be made available for domestic adoption for five months, before they can be placed internationally. It will also be giving financial incentives to families who adopt domestically, and broadening its definition of who can adopt domestically.

As a result of the decreased number of children available and the waiting period before a child can be referred to a foreign family, it can be expected that the wait for a referral will lengthen and that children will be older than previously, when they arrive home.

Korea's international adoption program is over 50 years old and extremely organized and ethical, so if your friends are willing to tolerate a wait and a slightly older baby, it makes an excellent choice for adoption.

In addition, Korea's medical care system is of very high quality, and the children available for adoption tend to have reliable and detailed medical records. Korea's foster care system is also quite good, with appropriate supervision of the foster families who take care of most of the available children.

Korea allows both escort and travel. Travel is generally recommended, so that a person develops an appreciation of his/her adopted child's birth country. However, escort is an excellent option for people with other small children at home.

Korea is one of the strictest countries from which one can adopt. Some people find that they cannot qualify because of their length of marriage, number of children at home, income, health status, history of minor infractions of the law, etc. Obesity is an issue for people whose agency works with one of two Korean welfare institutions.

Korean adoption is unlike adoption from any other country, in that, for NSN adoptions, prospective parents must use an agency licensed in their state and holding a contract with the Korean government to place children in their state. They do not have the ability to choose an agency anywhere in the country.

To find out what agencies serve your state, go to adoptkorea.com, which has a list. The list also indicates which of Korea's four welfare institutions works with each agency. This can be important in terms of the health status requirements, the timetable for the adoption, etc.

Sharon

[dac_cincy]

Thank you all for the information- I will pass the links on to my friends. They live in Ohio for those of you who asked.

Thanks again for all your help,

[TropicA1A]

I PM'd you

[teachamy]

I will PM you.

[4plus1]

Hello. We are the friends who are interested in Korean adoption. We live in Ohio, and have had an initial contact with Holt, International. We would appreciate any feedback from other Ohio families with recent or current experience with this or another other agency regarding Korean adoptions in our state. Please PM with any agency advice.

Thank you.
Robb & Sandy

[short_korean01]

Hi, i was adopted from Holt International and so was my brother. We're both from Korea. Edited to removed agency discussion. Please remember that all specific dicussion must take place via PM. For more information, please read ; http://forums.adoption.com/korea-ado...ease-read.html

[Makena730]

Hi I'm from Ohio too, considering Korea and Guatamala. Not that this is an Ohio board but if anyone could PM me with their experiences with Ohio agencies, it would be greatly apprectiated. Thanks