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Seoul Searching

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Portrait of a man in a black coat with faux fur collar looking at distance with a slight smile
After finding inconsistencies in his own adoption file, Peter rallied other Danish adoptees to scrutinise theirs.(Foreign Correspondent: Matt Davis)
A black and white photo of a baby
Peter was adopted as a baby to a couple in Denmark.(Supplied: Peter Møller)

A traditional South Korean building in foreground against a background of modern buildings and high rises
Old meets new in Seoul, South Korea.(Foreign Correspondent: Matt Davis)

Black and white photo Korean girl with baby on her back stands in front of a tanker looking somber
Carrying her baby brother on her back, a war weary Korean girl walks by a stalled M-26 tank, at Haengju, Korea, 1951.(Getty Images: RV Spencer/Interim Archives)
Statues depicting soldiers of the Korean War
A memorial to the soldiers of the Korean War.(Foreign Correspondent: Matt Davis)

A six-month-old female South Korean baby smiling
Mary was adopted to the US in 1982 as a baby.(Supplied: Mary Bower)
People picnic in a park. A large steel, circular structure is in the background
Mary made the move from the US to South Korea in 2020.(Foreign Correspondent: Matt Davis)
A Korean woman with a big smile wears a pink top and black cardigan stands in the city
Mary tried to find out more about her past from her adoption agency, but things quickly didn't add up.(Foreign Correspondent: Matt Davis)

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A man with a baby in a sling on his chest walk past line drawing art on a building window
The streets of Seoul, South Korea, 2024.(Foreign Correspondent: Matt Davis)

Korean man holds up a photo of himself as a baby, serious expression on his face
Chae is hopeful he will one day connect with his birth mother in South Korea.(Foreign Correspondent: Phil Hemingway)
A man sits at a park table sorting through paperwork with his head down
Chae says his birth family search has so far been frustrating and confronting.(Foreign Correspondent: Phil Hemingway)

Black and white 1956 photo four couples with five children. Travel posters behind.
Korean War orphans arrive in New York to meet their new parents, 1956.(Getty Image: Bettmann/ contributor)

South Korean woman with short dark hair wearing a black jacket smiles while standing outside
Helen Noh says some adoption agencies in the past have offered maternity homes and hospitals money for children.(Foreign Correspondent: Matt Davis)

The skyline of Seoul, South Korea, filled with grey high-rise buildings
Adoptions surged after the Korean War, and international adoption become a lucrative business.(Foreign Correspondent: Matt Davis)
A South Korean flag on a pole moves in the wind
In the decades since the end of the Korean War, 200,000 South Korean children have been adopted to North Korea, Europe and Australia.(Foreign Correspondent: Matt Davis)
A tunnel looks through to a traditional South Korean structure
The South Korean government's expected to ratify an international convention on intercountry adoption, which makes the practice a last resort.(Foreign Correspondent: Matt Davis)
City streets
Adoptees say they have discovered "alarming patterns" in their adoption stories.(Foreign Correspondent: Matt Davis)

Extrerior of part of a high rise building with Korean signage next to English signage that reads HOLT
Holt Children's Services still has a large presence in South Korea.(Foreign Correspondent: Matt Davis)
An old Korean structure in foregound with modern, glass high rise in background. Both alongside a busy road filled with vehicles
Seoul is an ultra-modern yet deeply traditional city.(Foreign Correspondent: Matt Davis)

Adoptee meet up
Adoptees say an apology would be welcomed, but ultimately they want to know the truth.(Foreign Correspondent: Matt Davis)
A man wearing a yellow beanie and T-shirt with his sunglasses tucked in the front
Hundreds of adoptees from South Korea are demanding answers.(Foreign Correspondent: Matt Davis)
Adoptee meet up
Every new piece of information the adoptees exchange is one step closer to completing the puzzle. (Foreign Correspondent: Matt Davis)

Landscape of the city of Seoul from above at night. Lights of buildings and surrounds are on
Seoul has a population of more than 51 million.(Foreign Correspondent: Matt Davis)

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