Claiming Rights: Organizational and Discursive Strategies of the Korean Adoptee and Unwed Mothers Movement

Since the Korean War, the South Korean adoption industry has grown to be one of the largest in the world today. In 2011, the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea changed the name of the Special Law Relating to the Promotion and Process of Adoption to simply, the Special Adoption Law. The contentious debate surrounding the revisions to the Special Adoption Law reflects the complex problems associated with Korea’s long history of adoption. This article contributes to the growing literature on Korean adoption by providing a descriptive overview of the mobilizing strategies adoptee, unwed mothers, and supporting groups pursue to address problems related to adoption practices in Korea today. We first introduce adoptee and unwed mothers service and advocacy organizations. We then analyze three key documents produced by the adoptee and unwed mothers movement to highlight the discursive strategies these organizations use to frame grievances and motivate action.