12/10/2026
Welcome to Korea!🇰🇷
We extend our warmest welcome to international adoptees and their families visiting South Korea.
The resources provided below have been carefully selected to help you gain a deeper understanding of modern Korean history, culture, and society. Most of these materials are available in English or include English subtitles, making them accessible even to those who are not fluent in Korean.
Modern Korea has been shaped by the profound challenges of war and national division following the end of Japanese colonial rule, as well as by decades of rapid industrialization and democratization. Behind the nation’s remarkable transformation are the untold stories and lived experiences of countless individuals whose lives were deeply affected by these historic changes.
Among them were many children who grew up in poverty, family separation, or institutional care. For many years, their experiences remained largely invisible, receiving little attention from society. The hardships they endured outside the shelter of a family are difficult to fully express in words. At a time when social welfare systems were still limited, only a small number of social workers and welfare organizations stood alongside these children, bearing witness to their lives and struggles.
As Korea achieved rapid economic growth and social progress, the experiences of these vulnerable children were often forgotten or overlooked. Yet their stories remain an important part of Korea’s modern history and deserve to be remembered and understood.
The materials collected here are valuable records that preserve the stories of people who have too often been forgotten over time. We hope that they will serve as a meaningful guide on your journey, helping you deepen your understanding of Korea while discovering new insights into your own personal story.
Eastern Social Welfare Society remains committed to expanding and updating its collection of English-language resources on modern Korean history, so that adoptees and their families visiting Korea may continue to explore and better understand the historical context of their own journeys. (Eastern Social Welfare Society remains committed to expanding and updating its collection of English-language resources on modern Korean history so that adoptees and their families visiting Korea may continue to explore and better understand the historical context of their own journeys.
🩵We hope these materials help you better understand Korea’s past while discovering new connections to your own story.
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📚 Korean Stories Worth Knowing
“First Trip Home” 2008 Birthland Visit of Overseas Korean Adoptees to Discover Their Roots
- Program: KBS Documentary 3 Days
From December 8 to 14, 2008, the Overseas Koreans Foundation (now the Overseas Koreans Agency) hosted “First Trip Home” an invitation program for overseas Korean adoptees to visit Korea and reconnect with their roots.
The program was jointly organized by the Overseas Koreans Foundation, Global Overseas Adoptees’ Link, and four adoption agencies, including Eastern Social Welfare Society, to help adoptees explore their roots and gain a deeper understanding of their heritage. During the event, cameras from KBS’s ‘Documentary 3 Days accompanied the participants for three days, capturing memorable moments as well as their emotions and reflections throughout the journey.
🔎 YOUTUBE: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BwFkxs7E3_0]
![[Eastern Social Welfare Society]Be a Guardian Angel for children in care this Children’s Day👼Dear Friends and Supporters...](https://img3.globgov.com/252/144/1262679882521449.jpg)
