As Korea has globalized, so too has its discourse surrounding Korean transnational adoptees. Globalization of the issue can be seen in media portrayal of this group, where their canon of portrayal...Show moreAs Korea has globalized, so too has its discourse surrounding Korean transnational adoptees. Globalization of the issue can be seen in media portrayal of this group, where their canon of portrayal in Korean film and television is now accompanied by non-Korean works of visual media. Through a case study of Return to Seoul, a 2022 film by non-adoptee, non-Korean director Davy Chou, the thesis argues the following. While Return to Seoul as an independent foreign film on transnational Korean adoptees is in some capacity aware of Korea’s national wound and discourse, it is not meant to fit into existing Korean representations or answer to political incentives. Conversely, it is exactly through its divergence from existing portrayals that foreign film on the topic has the potential to resonate with its global audience, and create productive discourse on Korean-ness and foreign-ness.Show less
Analysing the history of the beginning of transnational adoption to the Netherlands, and with it the history of Korean adoption to the Netherlands, reveals that this development was spearheaded by...Show moreAnalysing the history of the beginning of transnational adoption to the Netherlands, and with it the history of Korean adoption to the Netherlands, reveals that this development was spearheaded by concerned Dutch citizens who organised themselves, with guidance from the government, to form the first Dutch adoption agency: Stichting Interlandelijke Adoptie. Korean adoption agencies, especially Korea Social Service, reacted eagerly to the demand in the Netherlands, driven by economic incentives and the maturation of the institutional space wherein adoption agencies operated in South Korea. As the number of children in childcare facilities peaked around 1967, adoption agencies sought to expand their adoption programme to more countries; outsourcing the childcare to foreign families (while getting paid for), compared to increasing the capacity of domestic care facilities, was the only financially viable choice. In a perfect storm, the confluence of socio-cultural and economic circumstances led to the emergence of transnational adoption as a lasting phenomenon, in both the Netherlands and South Korea.Show less
