On Adoption.com, I asked some of the participants on the Korea forum why they chose to adopt from Korea? I knew why I chose Korea, but I was wondering what made other people choose Korea. Here are some of the most common reasons:

“For us the choice to adopt from Korea wasn’t based on one or two strong points, rather it was a hundred little things that made the program a perfect fit. – S.”

• Most Korean children are in foster homes

“We liked that our child would be loved by a foster family before coming home… - S.”

“…the kids weren’t in an institution but in a foster care program—one child per home… - T.”

• The stability and the smoothness of the process

“But the more I read, the more it seemed like the gold standard for international adoptions. – D.”

“…the program is stable… - A”

“The fact that Korea has the oldest and most established adoption program provided some security as well. – TM.

• The escort option

“…the child could be escorted over (I’m deathly afraid to fly… - T.”

“The escort option was also a big factor. We just couldn’t put our lives on hold for weeks/months at a time to travel as often as some other countries required. – A.”

• The medical care and the health of the babies

“…medical system is similar to ours. – J.”

“Excellent medical care – D.”

• Fear of domestic adoption

“We…quickly ruled out domestic adoption (like M. we feared the birthparents might have a change in heart… - S.”

“…I knew I couldn’t put my heart out for more risk that is often associated with domestic adoptions. – A.”

• Exposure to Korean adoptees

“Korean adoptees suddenly started entering our lives, so we followed our gut. – J.”

“DH had been talking with a colleague who had adopted from Korea several times… - L.”