At this point, Korean adoption remains open. As of September 2010, applications began to be accepted again for adoption from this country. If you are interested in adopting here are the basic requirements for the applicants. Only heterosexual married couples are eligible. Their marriage must be at least three years minimum with only one previous divorce for either parent. The age of the prospective parents must be between 25-42 years. The parents ages must not be more than 10 years apart. There is a weight requirement in place. Each parent must not be more than 30% overweight. If the prospective parent struggles with depression, they must have proof of stability for over five years.
Prospective parents with up to four children in the home will be considered but cannot specify what gender of child they will accept. Korea also requires that prospective parents be open to accepting a child with special needs that are correctable. The children that are available for adoption usually are given up by young, single people. There is a tremendous social stigma attached to these children and the families for being born out of wedlock. The children are housed in foster care situations and well taken care of. The foster care in this country is so good that it has become a model for other countries to follow.
At this point, all families are being considered but a shorter wait time is given to the families that have Korean heritage. Korea is working toward phasing our the need for international adoption and taking care of all of their orphans ‘in country’. This is said to occur in the next year. I have not located any confirmation past what I posted in my previous blog. Check it out.
The loss of this adoption partner brings about a mixed reaction. Focusing on the loss brings regret. A look into the history should bring joy. As of now, over 160,000 children have been adopted by the fourteen western countries, 100,000 being in the United States. Wow, what an amazing journey.
I will continue to monitor the status of adoption from this country.
~Angie
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