http://joongangdaily.joins.com/article/view.asp?aid=2883720

December 10, 2007
HONG KONG ? A high-ranking Dutch diplomat and his wife, who adopted a 4-month-old Korean girl in 2000 when he was posted in Korea, gave up the child last year, officials here said.

Now, officials here are looking for someone to take care of the school-age child.

The girl, Jade, is still a Korean citizen because the adoptive parents, whose names were not released, never applied to give her Dutch citizenship, according to an official at the Hong Kong Social Welfare Department.

She doesn’t speak any Korean. She speaks only English and Cantonese, according to people close to her.  And she doesn’t have Hong Kong residency status, either. The Hong Kong Social Welfare Department, where the Dutch diplomat left Jade in September last year, has had responsibility for her ever since, the official said. Jade has been in Hong Kong’s foster care system, according to Hong Kong’s South China Morning Post.

The paper also reported that the diplomat, who has a senior management role at a European consulate in the city, said “the adoption had gone wrong,” without any further explanation.

“It’s just a very terrible trauma that everyone’s experiencing,” he told the paper. “I don’t have anything to say to the public. It is something we have to live with.”

The diplomat’s wife thought she was infertile when the couple adopted the Korean girl in 2000, the official said. After they moved to Hong Kong, the wife got pregnant. They now have two children of their own.

The story has fueled anger among the Korean immigrant community in Hong Kong, which criticized the diplomat couple for “irre-sponsibly renouncing their custody of a child who’d been with them more than six years after delaying the naturalization process in Netherlands for years.”

A couple of potential families in Hong Kong showed interest in the adoption, but are struggling to complete the adoption process because of the strict legal qualifications here, Koreans familiar with the incident said.

The Korean Consulate in Hong Kong said it is aware of the situation.
“We could send her back to a Korean orphanage, but she’s been away from Korea for so long, and it would be very difficult for her to readapt in Korea,” said Jeong Byeong-bae, a consul of the South Korean consulate in Hong Kong. “So it is for the best under the circumstances to find a Korean family in Hong Kong.”

By Choi Hyung-kyu JoongAng Ilbo/ Lee Yang-kyoung Staff Reporter [ enational@joongang.co.kr ]

JINHEUNG MOONHWA Co., Ltd. has hosted a motherland tour program for all Overseas Adopted Koreans every year since 1996.
The purpose of this program is to provide an opportunity for Korean Overseas Adoptees to understand Korean culture and tradition, to foster a strong sense of pride in the Korean heritage and build a warm friendship between native Koreans and adoptees.
We invite Korean Overseas Adoptees to Journey 2008 as below.

? Tentative Date : June 16 - 28, 2008 for two weeks (13 days, 12 nights)
  ** subject to change slightly

? Applicant Qualifications / Participant Selection
 - All Overseas adopted Koreans
 - From 18 to 28 years of age.
 - Preference will be given to those who have not visited Korea before
 - Limited to 20 participants

? Participation costs
  JINHEUNG MOONHWA Co., Ltd. will cover all expense for this program
  (housing, food, transportation in Korea) except air travel to/from home country
  and domestic travel from Busan/Jejudo/Seoul.

? How to Apply
 -  Fill out and Submit application form and brief essay which includes information about
    yourself and what you hope to gain as a participant in Journey program. Include a recent
    color photo.
    Submit to: Robyn McLaughlin: korrob4@hotmail.com (USA) or
                   Suk-Hwan Choi : jh1004@jh1004.com (Korea)
  Application Form (Download application form at http://1004calendar.com)
  ** Early application is highly appreciated as participants are accepted on a first come basis.

? Application Deadline : April 25, 2008

? Host: JINHEUNG MOONHWA Co., Ltd.
            104-8 Shinseol-dong, Dongdaemoon-gu, Seoul, Korea
            Tel: 82-2-2230-5190 Fax: 82-2-2230-5156
            http://1004calendar.com

? Contact Information
- Korea : Mr. Suk-Hwan Choi
              E-mail: jh1004@jh1004.com
              Tel: +82-2-2230-5191 / Fax: +82-2-2230-5156

- U.S.A : Ms. Robyn Poland, a Journey 2001
              E-mail: korrob4@hotmail.com
              Tel: (Home) +1-732-721-8450/ (Mobile) +1-732-887-3183

http://1004calendar.com/event/2008adoptees/schedule.php

SAVE THE DATES: August 1 – August 3, 2008

In 2008 Global Overseas Adoptees’ Link will celebrate its 10th anniversary. To commemorate this significant milestone, G.O.A.’L will host a special celebration together with our annual summer conference. More info will be forthcoming, so check our homepage for updates: www.goal.or.kr or contact Nicole Sheppard (ia_goal@yahoo.com).

InKAS provides Korean language scholarships to overseas Korean adoptees with a grant from the Ministry of Health and Welfare at the below website:http://cyber.inkas.com Overseas Korean adoptees over the age of 14 are qualified to apply. The details of the scholarship and application are as follows:

1. ApplicationEach applicant needs to submit 4 separate documents to complete the application process.  Please refer to the attached application form.  Application details can also be found at www.inkas.org (InKAS homepage, first click on ‘News and Events’, and then click ‘scholarship on-line 2007’.) Only completed applications will be considered for scholarships. 

2. Application Dates: During the year.  

3. How to apply: Send the application form and the required documents (written in the form) to InKAS 1) E-mail: inkas21@yahoo.co.kr 2) Fax: 82-2-3148-02593) Visit : Come to InKAS office and submit your application in person4) Post : InKAS office : 101-12 4F, Daehyun-dong, Seodaemoon-gu Seoul, Republic of Korea ( Zip Code : 120-809)  * Call to the office during business hour if you have any question Tel : 82-2-3148-0258 

4. SelectionSelection will be made entirely on a first-come-first-served basis .  

5. NotificationEach grantee will be notified by individual email.  

6. Tuition Entirely free for scholarship grantees as the site sponsors 50% of total tuition while InKAS covers the other 50% with support from the Ministry of health and welfare. 

7. Terms & Conditions: 1) Duration : 6months (One month / level * 6 levels = Full course lasts six months)Every level starts 1ST day of every months Ex) apply on 15th of August-> start from 1st of September -> study for 6months2) Class schedule : 5 days / week (repeatable) , 1 hour / day (anytime) is recommended. 3) Class process : study each levels and take the test at the end of every month ( level)4) Level : I ~ VI (beginner ~ advanced ) 

*You may visit the site and try the sample test at http://www.cylang.com/korean/default.htm