If requested, the Embassy will attempt to locate Americans who are believed to be in Korea and are not in communication with family or friends.
Looking for an adopted child's birth parents?
Inquirers should be aware, however, that the Privacy Act prevents divulgence of information unless the subject of the inquiry gives his/her permission. If s/he does not give such permission, the Embassy's only alternative after the individual has been located is to inform him or her that relatives or others are concerned and ask him or her to communicate directly.
Occasionally, welfare-whereabouts requests are made on behalf of minor children by a parent following a divorce or separation. The Embassy cannot take sides in such a dispute. The Embassy will, however, attempt to locate children, if requested, and can transmit information to either parent regarding the child's health and well-being.
We maintain no comprehensive listing of Americans in Korea, though many Americans voluntarily register with the Embassy. If you are asking us to attempt to locate an American, our chances of success are greatly enhanced if you can provide his/her full name, date of birth and any recent contact information you may have for him/her in Korea.
The Embassy cannot locate non-Americans, such as Korean friends. Persons serving in the U.S. military in Korea are best located by contacting the person's service branch (Army, Marines, etc.) directly.
The Embassy cannot send, forward or receive mail on behalf of American Citizens.
Follow this link for additional information from the Department of State about welfare and whereabouts inquiries.
Local Resources
While the Embassy's ability to locate someone is limited, there are a number of resources you may use to locate someone independently. Here are some resources that have proved helpful to others.
National Police Headquarters
Missing Persons Office
#203, Mikeun-dong
Seodaemun-ku, Seoul
Telephone: 82-2-313-0513 or 312-7000 (Korean only)
Newspaper Ads
Here are Korea's largest Korean and English-language daily newspapers. Please contact them directly for rates and other information.
Korean-language newspapers
Hankuk Ilbo
14 Junghak-dong, Chongro-ku
Seoul, Korea
Telephone: 82-2-736-5566
Dong-A Ilbo
139 Sejong-ro, Chongro-ku
Seoul, Korea
Telephone: 82-2-2020-0756
English-language newspapers
Korea Times
14 Junghak-dong, Chongro-ku
Seoul, Korea
Telephone: 82-2-734-6873
Korea Herald
1-12 Hwoihyun-dong, Chung-Ku
Seoul, Korea
Telephone: 82-2-727-0301
Locating Birth Parents
Unfortunately, we cannot assist adopted Americans in locating their Korean birth parents in Korea. You may, however, wish to correspond directly with the appropriate adoption facility and/or adoption agency in hopes of locating your birth parents yourself.
The Embassy does not maintain any log of which agency sponsored which child, and we do not have historical records or contact information on agencies that are no longer in business. To get you started in your search, below is the contact information for four agencies that are currently active in Korea, as well as some on-line sources.
Eastern Child Welfare Society (Korean Christian Crusade)
Seoul
493 Changchun-dong
Sudaemun-ku, Seoul 120-180
Tel. 82-2-324-0862, 82-2-332-3941/5
FAX 82-2-333-1588
Pusan
1156-7 Choryang 3-dong
Dong-ku, Pusan 601-013
Tel. 82-51-409-5586
Taegu
154 Shinchun, 3-dong
Dong-ku, Taegu 701-023
Tel. 82-53-755-1077
Holt Children's Services
Seoul
382-14 Hapjong-dong, Mapo-ku
Seoul 121-220
Tel. 82-2-332-7501/4
FAX 82-2-334-5440
Pusan
1158-2 Choryang, 3-dong
Dong-ku, Pusan 601-013
Tel. 82-51-465-0224, 82-51-468-4576
Taegu
238-50 Bomoh-dong
Susang-ku, Taegu 706-010
Tel. 82-53-756-0183/4
Korea Social Services
Seoul
533-3 Ssangmun-dong
Dobang-ku, Seoul 132-030
Tel. 82-2-993-2381, 82-2-993-0821
FAX 82-2-908-3344
Korean Social Welfare Society
Seoul
718-35 Yoksam-dong, Kangnam-ku
Seoul 135-080
or
CPO Box 24
Seoul 100-600
Tel. 82-2-552-6227, 82-2-552-1015/8
FAX 82-2-552-1019
Pusan
San 22-1, Wooam-dong
Nam-ku, Pusan 608-060
Tel. 82-51-647-3655/6
Taegu
128-1 Bomoh, 3-dong
Susung-ku, Taegu 706-013
Tel. 82-53-756-1392/5
Other Sources
We know of two Korean web sites devoted to helping people locate their birth parents. Both sites have an English-language section and on-line databases.
Findparent / HumanFind
Another option would be to contact KBS Television's popular show "Achim Madang", which every Wednesday airs a segment called "Missing Persons Search". If you don't speak Korean, you'll need a Korean-speaking friend to help you sign up by calling 82-2-781-3521. Unfortunately, the wait for new cases to be aired is several months.
Follow this link for information on how to adopt a child from Korea
For American Citizen Services (ACS) inquiries, please e-mail us at seoulinfo@state.gov.
For more information on how to contact us, please click here.
Updated: Ocotber 22, 2009
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