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Fost= er Parents to Get W2 Mil. for Adoption

By= Lee Jin-woo
Staff Reporter

The government is likely to p= rovide foster parents with 2 million won ($2,000) in financial support to promote domestic adoption.

The Ministry of Health and We= lfare and several domestic social welfare organizations including Holt Children's= Services have discussed several support programs for domestic adoption including the 2-million-won aid in the past few years.

``Parents often feel awkward = when they hear they must pay 2 million won to adopt a child,'' Lee Chang-won, wh= o is in charge of public relations at Holt, told The Korea Times.

``We all know that those adop= tive parents are making a warm-hearted, and quite difficult, decision, but they still have to pay to realize their good intentions,'' he added. =

Lee expressed his wish that t= he government provide more aid packages for foster parents and adopted childre= n, including temporary paid leaves for parents and changed attitudes of society toward domestic and international adoption.

``Not only mothers but also f= athers should be given enough time, at least a few months, to get used to their new child,'' he said. ``It's regrettable that still many people are prejudiced about domestic adoption here.''

Han Youn= -hee, president of the Mission to Promote Adoption in Korea (MPAK), said she has discussed with health-wel= fare ministry officials several additional measures for families with adopted children in addition to the 2-million-won aid and temporary leaves.

The government is considering providing some 70,000 won and free education services, especially kindergar= ten classes, for each adopted child, she said.

Last year, the ministry actua= lly included some 1.5 billion won in order to carry out several plans to promote domestic adoption in this year's budget, but the National Assembly rejected= the budget plan without proper reason, she argued.

Han said about 10,000 childre= n are abandoned by their parents annually, waiting for either domestic or international adoption.

``Currently some 19,000 child= ren under 18 are staying in welfare facilities such as orphanages nationwide. O= nce they become 18, they are required to leave their facilities,'' she said.

The MPAK has cooperated with = some 24 local organizations that facilitate domestic and international adoptions, providing classes to prevent prejudice against adopted children at elementa= ry and junior high schools nationwide. It has also run a weekly television sho= w on child adoption with the local broadcaster CBS every Thursday.

Last year, 1,461 of 9,420 chi= ldren, who stayed at children's welfare facilities, found homes in the country whi= le 2,001 were sent to foreign countries where their new parents are waiting for them, according to the ministry.

There were 247,764 Koreans ad= opted between the period after the Korean War (1950-53) and 1997, with 54,639 bei= ng adopted by Korean families and 193,125 adopted abroad, according to the ministry.

After years of effort, May 11= has been designated as ``Adoption Day.'' The government and local organizations have been busy preparing events to celebrate the first adoption day. <= /o:p>

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things@koreatimes.co.kr

03-17-2006 17:57