Republic of Korea (South Korea)

Hague status: Not a Hague Convention member

Residency requirements:
There are no residency requirements for South Korean intercountry adoptions. In order to complete a full and final adoption in South Korea it is necessary for prospective adoptive parents to reside in Korea at the time of adoption. For prospective adoptive parents not resident in Korea it will be necessary to gain legal custody for the purpose of adoption and complete a full and final adoption in the United States.

Age requirements:
Prospective adoptive parents must be between 25 and 44 years old. Korean authorities usually require both prospective intercountry adoptive parents be younger than 45 years old. The age difference between the couple can be no more than 15 years. Some considerations in waiving the age requirements exist if at least one parent is under 45 years old, the prospective adoptive parents have previously adopted a Korean child, and are willing to adopt an orphan with serious medical problems.

Marriage requirement:
Married couples must have been married at least three years. Single individuals are not eligible to adopt a child from South Korea.

Income requirement:
The prospective adoptive parents must have an income higher than the U.S. national average and be sufficient to support the adoptive child.

Other requirement:
The prospective adoptive parents cannot have more than five children, including the child(ren) to be adopted.

Organization	Link	Country	From	To
Amanda Bridgeman	Was adopted from	Republic of Korea (South Korea)
Bud Fitzgerald	Was adopted from	Republic of Korea (South Korea)	1956-12-30
Kim Hanson	Was adopted from	Republic of Korea (South Korea)
Susan Soon-Keum Cox	Was adopted from	Republic of Korea (South Korea)
U.S. Embassy in South Korea	Embassy in	Republic of Korea (South Korea)
Will C Dantzler	Was adopted from	Republic of Korea (South Korea)	1957-12-31

Organization	From	To
AAC Adoption and Family Network, INC.
Americans for International Aid and Adoption (AIAA)
Attorney-General's Department, International Family Law Branch, Australia
Bethany Christian Services	1982-01-01
Catholic Charities of Baltimore	1979-01-01
Children's Home Society & Family Services, Minnesota (CHSFS)
Children's Services International (CSI) (GA)
Dillon International, Inc.	1972-01-01
Dillon Southwest
Family & Children's Agency, Inc. (FCA)	1982-00-00
Family Adoption Consultants
Holt International Children's Services	1956-00-00
International Adoptions, Inc. (IAI) (MA)
Rayon de Soleil de l'Enfant Etranger
The Barker Foundation
Travelers Aid Society of Seatle	1974-01-01	1992-02-20
Verdens Barn - Children of the World
Wide Horizons for Children (WHFC)

Organization	From	To
Adopt International and Domestic Services (CA)
Adoption Alliance (CO)
Adoption of Babies and Children, Inc.		2009-00-00
Adoptions Together
Bay Area Adoption Services
Carolina Adoption Services
Family Connections Christian Adoptions
Heartsent Adoptions, Inc.
International Christian Adoptions
Lifelink international adoptions
Lutheran Social Services of Illinois	2007-07-01	2007-06-30
Partners for Adoption
Sunny Ridge Family Center

Organization	From	To
Marjorie Margolies		1995-01-03
Stuart Williams

Organization	State/Province	City
Eastern Social Welfare Society (Eastern SWS)		Seoul
Holt Korea - Holt Children's Services Inc	Seoul Special City	Seoul
Korea Social Service (KSS)		Seoul
Social Welfare Society, Inc. (SWS)		Seoul

Organization	State/Province	City
U.S. Embassy in South Korea	Seoul Special City	Seoul

Organization	State/Province	City
Seoul Boystown orphanage	Seoul Special City	Seoul
St. Vincent's orphanage		Inchon
Sung Ro Won orphanage	Seoul Special City	Seoul

Report	Date
Korea - misc child trafficking cases	1971-01-01

Document	Date
Korea joins Hague child adoption pact	2013-05-25
Notice: Korea Begins Implementing Special Adoption Act	2013-01-25
Supply and Demand: The Landscape	2010-11-01
South Korea closing foreign trade in abandoned babies	1990-03-13
FEWER BABIES KOREAN ADOPTIONS ARE TAPERING OFF	1989-07-06
Babies for Export: And Now the Painful Questions	1988-04-21
Babies for Sale	1988-01-01
OPTING FOR ADOPTION FEWER KOREAN BABIES AVAILABLE	1987-11-06
Officer Wins Fight to Adopt Lad Korean Boy Starts For U.S.	1952-12-31