("American Involvement in the Korean War")
"Every child deserves a home of his own." ~harry holt
Adoption Before the holts
Before the 1950s, people who adopted children tried to keep it secret by finding children who looked like them and were the same race and nationality. International adoption was discouraged at that time in the United States (Lee).
During the Korean War from 1950 to 1953, American servicemen fathered children with Korean women. These Amerasian children were shunned and often kicked out onto the streets. Because of the war, many Korean children were also orphaned when their parents were killed. At the end of the war, there were over 100,000 orphaned children in Korea ("Holt International Children's Services"). These children needed homes.
"The war orphans suffered terribly, roaming around aimlessly on the streets, searching each day for food and a place to sleep. Among them, the pain experienced by mixed race orphans, born between UN soldiers and Korean mothers, was the greatest yet." (Kim)
"For most unbearable was the constant rejection and discrimination against them by the people and society. Harsh was the cold winter weather, but harsher yet was losing their family and identity." (Kim)
"For most unbearable was the constant rejection and discrimination against them by the people and society. Harsh was the cold winter weather, but harsher yet was losing their family and identity." (Kim)