Adopted from South Korea in 1979, I am returning to my birth country for the first time to investigate and document the circumstances of my adoption and piece together a history I have never known.
My search unfolds at a pivotal moment in history as South Korea confronts the documented findings of human rights violations in an international adoption system that sent approximately 200,000 Korean children overseas. The 2025 findings have raised new questions about inaccurate and falsified records, questionable relinquishments, family separation, and the roles played by governments and agencies in Korea and abroad.
Beginning with my own adoption file and search for answers, I want to understand what my case can reveal about a much larger history. Through personal investigation, archival research, interviews, and my first return to Korea, the film will explore identity, family, belonging, and what it means to reclaim my own history as a nation questions its own.
The feature-length documentary is currently in development, with initial research and filming planned in South Korea.