By According to this report Korean citizens are having USFK servicemembers adopt their children in order to enroll them into DOD schools in Korea:
An increasing number of Korean parents have their children adopted by Americans working for the U.S. military to enroll them at American schools on army bases, according to parents and school staff.
They say the number of adopted Korean students has recently risen at the Seoul American High School (SAHS), a Department of Defense (DoD) Dependent School at Yongsan Army Garrison in Seoul.
“Recently, I saw a sharp rise in the number of adopted Korean students coming to this school. Korean people are very clever, so they do whatever is necessary for the education of their children,” said a 40-year-old mother of two children in the 9th and 10th grades at the school. “If you visit immigration agencies in Itaewon, you can find many Koreans trying to have their children adopted by foreigners for education,” added the woman, who declined to be named.
The school’s students and teachers also admitted to the rise in the number of adopted students.
According to the school, about 670 dependents of the U.S. Army, Navy, Marine, Air Force and Civilian Personnel assigned to Seoul attend the federal public school. Among them, nearly 30 percent are Asians, mostly Korean.
Asked about the deliberately adopted Koreans who attend the school, Assistant Principal Bernard Hipplewith said, “We have some (adopted Koreans) here. Yes, we have quite a few of them. I don’t think we don’t have huge problems with them.” [Korea Times via Brian in Jeollanamdo]
First of all you have to look at the numbers involved. With only 656 children in Seoul American High School and 30% of them being Korean students that means at a maximum 195 students are involved in this fraud. Of course not every Korean student enrolled would be a fraudulent adoption case either. Many may be children of Korean-American parents or legitimate adoptions. So how many children are involved in this fraud? Is it even more then ten?
So I think before jumping to conclusions that there is a problem maybe first someone should define how much of a problem this is?
12:39 am on December 7th, 2008 1
This article is a bunch of horse s**t. Some NASCAR fan's kid was probably called fat by an asian kid, so she started shooting her mouth off to the Korea Times.
For one thing, a good number of US servicemembers working in Yongsan are either kyopo or Korean-born US citizens. I haven't been seen by a white/black/hispanic doctor or dentist since coming to Korea. They're all Korean-American. For another thing, how many mixed-ethnicity kids who are part white and part asian are identified to the school as fully asian? It's up to the parents of mixed children to identify their kids one way or another, a la Barack Obama. Additionally, sitting in a recliner to watch NASCAR and wrestling makes you infertile, so you have to go to China to adopt a baby girl. Bunch of NASCAR fans = bunch of asian kids enrolled at Seoul American.
2:56 am on December 7th, 2008 2
Thanks for the tip, GI.
I'm going to go to the adoption agency this week and see if they have a 17 or 18 year-old Korean girl who needs a good home and some education.
3:46 am on December 7th, 2008 3
I figured out this Korean trick back in 2006.
As usual, though, all I had was circumstantial evidence, so my complaints fell on deaf ears as USFK gyopos and/or Korean spouses continued to "adopt" and homestead in Area II.
4:20 am on December 7th, 2008 4
Hmmmm…I wonder how much money is involved in this? If the adopting "parents" were to be paid at least the cost of tuition at a good foreign school, plus a service fee…
4:21 am on December 7th, 2008 5
Bob, just look at how many Lexus, Mercedes, BMWs, etc. driving around Yongsan and that should partially answer your question.
4:40 am on December 7th, 2008 6
A former boss of mine (caucasian) with a Korean wife adopted their Korean niece and she was a student at SAHS. She was from a broken home…father was an alcoholic. It never occurred to me to think that there was something untoward about the adoption. She went from a really bad home environment to a very healthy and stable one.
4:49 am on December 7th, 2008 7
But the majority of Korean homes are broken with fathers considered alcoholic by DSM-IV standards.
6:54 am on December 7th, 2008 8
Something just doesn't feel right with this article.
Is USFK so corrupt that they cannot/will not investigate a fraudulent adoption program?
As for adopting relatives…I see nothing wrong with that…why not give them a chance at a real life/career…it is not like they have entered America illegally and are taking advantage of our taxpayer supported system, as millions of Illegal Aliens are.
The sponsor here has to pay some serious bucks out to take care of the adopted relative, or orphan…and if the Korean family is pitching in…all the better.
Try adopting a Filipino relative and see what cooperation you (don't) get…the parents will often ask YOU for money.
My wife had to make it very clear with her brother that he would NOT be asking for money on down the road after we had invested major $$$ jumping through the corrupt legal system there…pathetic way to do business.
7:48 am on December 7th, 2008 9
DOD schools are taxpayer-supported, just like US public schools.
7:50 am on December 7th, 2008 10
Not related to this story but interesting
There is one Koream golfer who was adopted by her American Uncle and his wife. Sukjin Lee-Wuesthoff. A talented golfer at the age of 12, her parents arranged for her to come to the US. She had an Aunt who married a member of the US military and had settled in NJ. The Wuesthoffs adopted Sukjin
She won the USGA girls in 2003 but hasn't been able to translate her amateur success into the same on the pro level. There's a rumor she isn't much interested in pro golf anymore.
Here's a little more info on her.
http://www.seoulsisters.com/players/misc/leewuest…
8:14 am on December 7th, 2008 11
#10:"DOD schools are taxpayer-supported, just like US public schools."
The question here, is "If" there are fraudulent adoptions going on in USFK, in connivance with local authorities?
If there is, then it needs to be investigated and all involved charged, prosecuted and convicted…no matter the nationality. Any adoption gained through fraudulent means needs to be immediately annuled, or whatever the correct term is.
However, if a servicemember adopts a child, then it would stand to reason that he would have to had gone through some checks & balances…especially with USCIS, so where would he be in violation any laws, orders, policies, etc., "IF" he has followed the process to the letter of the law?
By sending a "Legally adopted child" to a DOD school, where is he misusing taxpayer $$$, wherin an Illegal Alien is violating the law by just being in America illegally, thus fraudulently utilizing taxpayer funded services to educate their children.
Personally, I home school my extended family at NO COST to anyone but myself, so I have very little sympathy for ANYONE caught abusing the system
11:14 am on December 7th, 2008 12
[...] ROK Drop, Brian in [...]
11:41 am on December 7th, 2008 13
guitard,
I think we know the same person.
BTW, how does DOD school deal with these Korean kids transferred from Korean schools? Is there ESL program for them like they do in CONUS?
3:19 pm on December 7th, 2008 14
I call this simply "gaming the system."
Is it fact? Yes. Has it been going on for years? Yes.
I actually taught one Korean student who was adopted by her aunt-American husband and was scheduled to attend OAHS. It irked me a little at first because my daughter couldn't qualify. Even though they say retiree children are eligible, everyone knows they will NEVER be get in because of space availability. However, I realized that they were simply gaming the system in order to get the kid a better chance later in life. Can't fault that.
If the DoDs has a gripe, they can easily slam the door shut by investigating and leveling charges against those who are found to be defrauding the US taxpayer. Will they? Never. This story is a Korean generated throw-stones story.
3:48 pm on December 7th, 2008 15
Small world, Capt Kim and guitard, I think we all know the same person or at least someone with a similar adoption experience.
I was trying to adopt my brother-in-law's child but it turned out to be too hard so we gave it up.
4:22 pm on December 28th, 2008 16
wow…I didnt know it was that big a problem. I always thought, but now things make sense.
I have a problem with this as I cant even get my American daughter in the school with the same deal.
And I am an American, and work on base.
If they dealt with this problem, it may open up a few seats for American kids from American family's to attend class.
Now wouldn't that be great!!!
4:24 pm on December 28th, 2008 17
Sonagi,
Someone foots the bill for 21k a year to have that child in a DODDS facility.
21 thousand is a lot of money to a lot of people.
4:26 pm on December 28th, 2008 18
Sorry, I couldnt get the edit to work. I meant Calm Seas above Sonagi.
Yup, Sonagi is right.
11:23 pm on December 28th, 2008 19
12:47 pm on February 15th, 2009 20
A lot of accusations and no proof. I'm calling bullshix until someone does a case study with substantiated proof.
11:04 pm on February 15th, 2009 21
Rush, if I could go back in time, I would take photos of the two "daughters" of a Korean E-4 in my old section and then a photo of the different "daughter" she had a year later. Where did the first two go? Where did the third come from? We could never get a straight answer.
1:41 am on February 16th, 2009 22
I just found out that the person who adopted his Korean wife's niece and nephew had a problem with his sister-in-law. Somehow, his wife and her sister never really "talked" about the detail of the adoption. Both him and his Korean wife thought they were adopting their niece and nephew for better education and better home environment compared to what their mother can provide in permanent basis. But their mother thought that this was a temporary adoption for better education oppurtunity for her kids. (Scamming the USG) The US person never thought about the scamming and he really loved these kids when he adopted them. He also knew the consequences of scamming the USG. (Losing his job and SOFA Benifits.) The kids liked the environment they are in and they do not want to go back to their birth mothers even after High School. They all wanted to attend college in CONUS.
9:35 am on February 16th, 2009 23
Cost of me taking care of your children – $250,000 a year plus expenses.
Your kids attending a third rate American high school = priceless