Introduction

Since the 1950's upwards of 200,000 Korean children have been out of Korea for adoption. Since the 1980's, many adult adoptees have returned to Korea to search for their birth families, to seek connection to Korean culture, language and identity, to work and to live. While many adoptees make this journey successfully, the majority of adoptees has and continues to encounter significant barriers in navigating their way through Korean society. To counteract this lack of resources, G.O.A.'L was established in Seoul, Korea in March 1998 as an independent organization to assist returning adoptees. G.O.A.'L unites Korean adoptees from European countries and the U.S. together with over 100 native Korean volunteers. These native Korean members help by providing knowledge about Korean culture, insight about native Korean behavior, and by increasing awareness of adoption issues amongst the general public. In short, G.O.A.'L was developed to help adoptees adjust to living and working in Korea, to find a job and a place to live, to locate their birthfamilies and also to make sure that birthfamilies and adoptees can communicate even after a succesful reunion. More importantly, G.O.A.'L's presence in Korea fosters awareness about adoption in the Korean government, adoption agencies, and Korean society.

We feel it is important that adoptees have a home base and voice within their birth country. The primary focus of G.O.A.'L is to inform the Korean society and government about the existence of Overseas Adopted Koreans (OAKs) and what it means to be adopted. Secondly, G.O.A.'L fosters positive links between adoptees and Korean society, and increases international awareness regarding issues of Korean adoption. Thirdly, G.O.A.'L provides adoptees that wish to learn about Korean life firsthand with support, also those who are looking for their birthfamilies G.O.A.'L assists adoptees in their endeavours. Finally, G.O.A.'L works by slowly breaking down the walls of prejudice, misunderstanding, shame, and pity that separate Koreans from adoptees and adoptees from each other.

For those adoptees returning to Korea to visit or stay, G.O.A.'L has compiled a list of resources such as translators, guides, birth search departments, and other volunteer support networks available specifically for Korean adoptees. In the past, many teenage and adult adoptees were discouraged from coming to Korea because they didn't know anyone in Korea or where they would stay if they did come. It is our hope that G.O.A' L's message will reach those adoptees that feel this way and give them the courage to visit Korea without the fear of feeling isolated. We believe that there are sufficient resources for Korean adoptees to live in Korea for a short or long term period.

More OAKs' voices need to be heard in the Korean community. G.O.A.'L is one way to voice your feelings and opinions. If you stay in Korea for a longer period it would be also a great opportunity to volunteer for G.O.A.'L.

G.O.A.'L maintains also a contact list for Korean adoptees who live currently in Korea. The purpose of this list is to keep our small Korean adoptee community here in Korea together. Every weekend there is a group going out together and by having fun and also by talking about our experiences Korean adoptees are able to exchange information and other important messages to each other.