Why Are So Many Korean Americans Adopted? | AJ+
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- Опубликовано: 16 сен 2019
- One out of every 10 Korean Americans are adopted. But why? And what’s it like for adoptees to return to their birthland for the first time?
Untold America follows one Korean American teenager from the suburbs of Boston to the city of Seoul to meet his foster mother for the first time since he was adopted.
Special thanks:
Mike Mullen, Also-Known-As (AKA): www.alsoknownas.org
Katie Bozek, The Korean American Adoptee Network (KAAN): www.wearekaan.org/
Alyssa Jeong Perry
Resources/Further Reading:
“Adopted Territory: Transnational Korean Adoptees and the Politics of Belonging” by Eleana J. Kim
“30 years later, this Korean adoptee finds ‘home’ again” by Shawyn Lee, PRI: www.pri.org/stories/2019-01-3...
“Pity the Children”, The Economist: www.economist.com/asia/2015/0...
#KoreanAdoptees #Adopted #KoreanAmerican
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Are you adopted, or do you know someone who was? Even if you weren’t, can you relate to the identity struggles in this piece?
I definitely can relate.
In America we base so much of our lives on fitting in. I grew up Black in a mainly white community and tried ,but in the end never white enough or Black enough, You just have to find your own Identity .Love being you
My dad was adopted from Korea, would like to go on tour but I'm not sure if I can afford it, plus I'm not sure if they'll let me come because I'm not directly adopted
I knew an older woman that was adopted from Korea and she was able to return as a small child since her family was military. She had more issues growing up concerning societal racism than anything else.
@@Jordanalm there are programs and scholarships that may help you, My name is Peter Aaron Myhre, you can find me on fb with that name. dm me and I may be able to help with some resources
"What are you looking forward to most?"
"Definitely the snacks."
Spoken like a true Korean XD
@@itsukinakamura8547 omg u so cringey
@@itsukinakamura8547 ??
@@itsukinakamura8547 ofc your Japanese ugh
Itsuki Nakamura trollll
Itsuki Nakamura the demand for anime is large in America. Americans also enjoy your products.
“I have 2 mommys ”
“I have 3”
Rekt
The girl: hi I have 2 mommies
Alex: well I have 3!!!
Itsuki Nakamura be nice man.
Itsuki Nakamura it doesn’t matter anymore
Itsuki Nakamura rude
Nope Nope I am nice. I am expressing mr full opinion
My heart broke when she said she loves her kid but wish he wouldn't have need to be adopted. Even I can't reconcile that. What a strong woman. I cried with her.
Itsuki Nakamura no one
Itsuki Nakamura I can’t properly understand what you’re trying to express and although I agree Japan is a cool place I don’t think you could say that one is better than the other.
@@itsukinakamura8547 stop copying and pasting
Itsuki Nakamura I think you need anger management
maria Shut up
Awww...Alex has amazing parents. Not everyone is that blessed.
Alex doesn't seem to appreciate what his parents did for him. Maybe it's his age, but he has an air of resentment and entitlement. It's as if he feels like he is owed a sense of belonging in Korea, yet he doesn't feel comfortable assimilating and being nice to people who are trying to embrace him.
@@lorriebarr736 He is 13 years old. You're expecting a bit too much from someone who just turned teenager.
Esther Song I agree. Look at his body language how he was holding onto his dad’s shoulder walking through the market! To me, that says enough that he’s still a child and felt scared and out of place.
@@lorriebarr736 mate he's 13, at 13 you don't really understand the significance of such a moment, you're really only starting to learn life lessons lmao
He really does, so happy for him that they adopted him :D
bro i started crying when the foster mom cried. it took literally a single second
I faught those tears, I am not in my room so I definitely don't want to cry infront of others. Ahhh such a touching scene T_T
It's sad many Koreans don't adopt other Koreans. That's why international adoption is a big thing in SK.
No
So many Korean parents are adopting other K-orphans.
@@salvadorkim9211 No, they aren't. Did you not watch the video? They've said it in tons of other videos too. The problem is South Koreans rarely adopt South Koreans so that's why there so many international adoptions. There's a huge stigma being a single mom which is why so many are up for adoption in the first place. Plus, they are big on being related by blood so that's why many don't adopt.
Cha In Pyo and Shin Ae Ra did. But yea, adopting orphans is still seen as a tabboo.
Well it's like in the US probably. It's seriously hard to adopt a child from the US, but WAY easier to adopt a child from somewhere else.
@@reneeroesler9944 I'm a korean born in america but I've lived in korea for a while and i can tell you that adoption is very well prevalent in korea, it's just that the rate of increasing orphans are much more higher than the rate that they are getting adopted. :)
Woo boy.... who is cutting those damn onions, man?
sooooo many onions
The orphanage part hit me hard... I feel so blessed to have my biological parents...
Opps! Hello Japanese guy? You guys looove so much Ginger.
same😭
고한별 shut up
This is the best made documentary about Korean adoptees. I have two children adopted from South Korea (son age 27 and daughter age 24) I’ve had the privilege of traveling to South Korea twice on motherland tours. My first trip was with my daughter who got to meet her foster mother. I went two years later with my son who got to meet his birth mother. Before the motherland tour I always said the happiest day of my life was when I met my son at the airport. After the tour to South Korea the happiest day of my life was when I got to meet and thank my sons birth mother. It was truly a humbling experience.
I’m full Korean and I speak fluent Korean but even I feel foreign whenever I visit Korea. I can’t imagine what it’s like for them.
It's culture shock. I get it too whenever natives from my parents Homeland realize I'm wasn't from there.
그러게요. 얼마전에 우연히 알게 된 입양 됐던 친구가 있는데...
그런거 같아요
Same with me as a filipino
I feel you. I'm Chinese and I visit China sometimes and it's really odd to stand in the line for foreigners at the airport. It's a really strange, indescribable feeling.
I'm not Korean (not even asian) but I live here and grew up here in Korea. It's super weird because I feel korean but I'm not actually korean. I feel out of place when I visit America.
For those that are saying the adoptive parents should immerse the child in their birth culture, it is not that simple. I’m not adopted but I’m a first generation Asian American. I’ve been raised with language, food, and some elements of culture. But even though I’m NOT adopted, by being American and living in the US, there’s just no way you can assimilate into your parents’ culture seamlessly. You feel and look like a foreigner if you go “back” to your parents’ country. The same will apply for any adopted kid, even if they learn about their birth country.
but they need to know their birth language.
@@reflexionesdelabiblia6711 . No they don't
"The U.S. had 2 million soldiers serving in Korea during the war, and many of them used Korean women for sex."
Hold up, what? Comfort women? People always talk about the Japanese using comfort women, but Americans get a pass?
I'm not surprised as always happens man
Kevin Alam Liong Kien Fai the difference is they werent forced
how dark and miserable history korea has... :((
;-;
Jailyn Shade Yes many of them were. If you read the book the shadow of camptown, about the experiences of Korean sex workers during the war many of them talk about how they were forced into prostitution.
*comfort women* is arrange and rule by Japanese government but other country didn't do that the soldier the one who did that without the government support..
To my birth parents out there I just wanna let you guys know that I'm doing good. I don't know anything about you guys but God knows I understand why you had to leave me and I hope that I'd be able to meet you both. I love you from a far.
Akuni John Awwwwww 🥺
🥺🥺🥺
Awww! I feel the same way. Great to hear things like this...things I can relate to.
❤❤❤❤❤❤😢😢😢😢😢😢
Lol they're not going to read this, you wrote that for likes and attention.
it's the saddest when the foster and adoptive parents are so emotional during the reunion yet the child feels Nothing at all, no emotional attachment towards the foster mother, they're practically strangers. i can't imagine the foster mother's feelings.
I was this way. It’s overwhelming. I could not process all the emotion in real time. It’s traumatic.
Yeah I agree.
If you adopt a child from another country, I think it’s important that they keep in touch with their culture as much as possible.
Agree! Keep in touch with family members, too.
@@freezing5if they want to. Some adoptees like my brother in law only want medical history. Other situations like my brother who is adopted his birth mom wants nothing to do with him because nobody knows about him and that painful part of her life. He has made peace with it.
“Looks like your eating thanos”
100th like
It hurts my soul.
Your?
Alex's parents are so loving...I can see that they love Alex just as if he was their own biological son. So touching and adorable to see..
I know the feeling of being foreign in your birth country. I may not be adopted but I was born in China then moved to the Us when I was 4. I pretty much adopted a US lifestyle and I don’t speak any Chinese at all. I don’t remember China at all. When family from China come see me basically they have no idea what to think as me and my family don’t act Chinese we barely speak Chinese and have no idea how to act. I haven’t been back to China yet mostly due to just life and health issues but I am planning to finally return to my birth country for the first time in thirty years sometime next year. I wonder what they’ll make of me.
Hey I'm 3rd gen Chinese born in America and with almost zero connection to China. I have worked in Shanghai for almost 2 years and they(mainland chinese) won't and never see you as their own kind. They called people like me bananas, white inside, yellow outside.
They'll see you as foreigner that may have money.Don't try to connect with everyone, they'll scam you.
I'm feeling you buddy. I was born in Israel to Jewish immigrants from the USSR who are culturally Russian. My big brother speaks and reads Russian, but I don't, because some shitty expert said to my parents that because i'm an autist, I couldn't learn 2 languages as a baby/small child (I'm 21 now). And for context, Jewish immigrants from the USSR and former USSR countries and their children have their own culture in Israel, and a huge part of it is speaking Russian.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_language_in_Israel
Us Chinese will love you. Never forget your root!!!
Don't be afraid! To us Chinese, family means a lot. I've recently met my family from China and although I didn't speak fluent mandrin they were very welcoming and treated us well. I've been trying to improve my mandrin ever since. Just understand that Western and Eastern hospitality is quite different. I'm sure there will be some culture shock but it's all in the process of learning.
I'm a Korean Adoptee and can relate to a lot of what was said in this piece. I think this was well done and beautifully told!
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Hi! So where in the US do you live? How old r u?
I just personally think it’s the duty of the family planning to adopt to try their best to teach and encourage that specific child to learn about their birth culture ,language and foods so they don’t grow up feeling lost ! If it’s a black kid or Asian kid or Hispanic teach them about their culture and languages so when they grow up they can feel a sense of belonging
liya zulu I agree with this
As an Irish person who cant celebrate their own culture i think thats a good idea. I mean yeah theres still irish culture but yknow...the British kinda uh...well almost destroyed it.
I agree, but there might be a feeling of disconnect at some point like, "why is my American mom and dad trying to teach me Korean culture?? What do they know?” Though this is just a possibility, not saying that trying is a bad idea. Parenting is hard no matter the circumstance.
liya zulu I didn’t agree with you because culture is a construct, until you said so they feel they have a sense of belonging that’s valid. I disagree that it is the parents duty but recognizing is definitely well and going so far to teach is even better
It would much easier if ethnic parents would only allow people of the same ethnic to adopt their child. Less or no difficulties to learn their originial culture and language which results in less work for the parents and less problems for the kids if they want to meet their parents
I volunteered at a Korean Orphanage when I studied abroad. The babies were 0-6months when I met them so they should be around 1 1/2 to 2 now. I wish I could know how they were doing and if they were adopted. I remember wishing I could adopt them all. They were all so cute and precious and happy babies. I pray they’re doing well now and forever🙏
You have an amazing soul.
You're an Amazing person you are!
Hi there... thats my dream.. i really want to go and volunteer at the orphanage..could you give me some pointers if you have time.. thank you so much
Surayah Bodkin same! I’d love to hear more!
I volunteered through a partnership my study abroad program had with the orphanage. The CIEE Seoul Arts and Sciences Program.
It was called Eastern Social Welfare Society, located in Hongdae. (I remember taking a bus, maybe 7737, into Hongdae from Yonsei university, and then walking a bit) It wasn’t only an orphanage, but helped mothers and their babies as well as other things.
🇺🇸/🇰🇷 I love the way Alex holds on to his Dad's shoulder as they go through the market! Best wishes to a great young man!! His parents love him so very much... a handsome young man❤
Alex is truly blessed having such loving parents.
Reporter:Hi perry!
Kid: He doesn’t talk
Me:😂😭😂😭😂
I heard that the adoptions are slowing down more these days due to some of the issues mentioned in this video being a concern, and because Korean society is slowly changing. However, watch "The Baby Box" documentary to see what often happens today.
There are children in these countries that loss a loving family and may live in places that don't have enough loving people to care, love, and teach them what they need to live in the world around them. Some maybe rejected by many of the people in their own country. The issues with adoption are not simple but we can turn our back on children that need of loving home.
We can not turn our back on children in need of a loving home.
Today, no one is having kids in Korea. Elementary schools are closing and the workforce is shrinking. Married parents in Korea have either one kids or no kids.
6:21 can we take a moment to appreciate the adoptee’s parents mindset and understanding
I'm a Korean American adoptee. I don't feel like I need to meet my birth parents out of curiosity or otherwise- I was very lucky and my adoptive parents were the best parents I could have ever asked for. But I sometimes wish that I could somehow telepathically tell my birth parents that I've had a blessed life here in America and that they made the right choice to put me up for adoption. I hope they don't have any bad feelings or worry about me. I hope that they don't think about me too much and that they have good lives.
I'm Korean American (born in the US to Korean parents) and I never knew that so many Koreans were adopted. It was not until I was in college and a "Korean" dude asked me if I was Korean. I said yes and he replied hello in Korean. It was oddly strange cause it's not common for American-born ethnic Koreans to converse in Korean.
Just wondering why you put "korean" in quotes?
This is the purest thing I've ever seen, look at that boy
being adopted is weird. you don’t feel like you belong where you live, and you don’t feel like you belong in your birth country.
Many 1.5 generations go through similar feelings. It's not totally unique.
In this increasingly globalized world, I think that's a feeling that can happen a lot. Ex, I was born and raised for 10 years in Brazil, but then I moved to the USA and assimilated. In the USA, I was never American enough, and now that I'm in Brazil, I'm a gringa, not Brazilian enough.
I guess it is just like mix people. But I learn to just say “I’m human”
10:30 Look at the foster mom showing affection. She wants to hug him but she is careful. It shows her experience.
alex's parents have such a realistic viewpoint on adopting and mature approach! Loving parents !
when i went back to korea and was able to meet my foster mother with my mother and father (adoptive) and it was so amazing to see her and be able to connect with her. the language barrier was huge and hard but then this past summer when i knew more korean i was able to spend an entire day with my foster mother and her husband and children who took care of me as a baby before my adoption. it was an amazing experience to meet those who took care of me and loved me when no one else was able too ❤️
mixjuxmixjux thanks for sharing your experience!
Oh man. So many tears.
I’m mixed Korean/White/Native American, but my Korean halmeoni is the matriarch of our family and one of the most important people in my life. Growing up, she made sure my family was very connected with our Korean heritage. But eventually, I realized I didn’t look like the girls in the shows she put on the TV. I tried so hard to - even cutting my own bangs at 7 years old because I thought it’d make me more Korean. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve grappled with whether I can even claim Korean culture as mine when I’m vaguely white-passing, can’t speak the language fluently, and have never been there. It’s a weird feeling, almost as if I’ve had my childhood ripped out from under me.
Anyways, my experience is definitely not the same as that of the kids in this video, but I felt elements of their story hit close to home. I hope they’re happy and find a way to understand and accept their complex identities, just as I hope to with mine.
Very touching video - my wife and I are Korean lucky enough to have our own parents, and we always had talks of having our own child plus adopting a Korean child. I really wanted to applaud and thank all the moms and dads far away for adopting these special children, who definitely deserves better than being in an orphanage.
If I was to ever adopt an child from an different country I would have them learn they’re native language so they can have some relation with there original country
Little Biscuit ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ Me too, I’d learn the language with them.
My parents did that for me, even though I learn, some of the slang is still hard for me to comprehend so I end up sticking out like sore thumb anyway! Haha
Its a lot easier said than done. Even kids who grow up with bio parents that speak a different native langauge often arent fluent in it or feel self concious speaking it to non relatives. For a kid whos parents dont even speak it, it will be that much more difficult. Even with school and friends that speak it. Language has to be consitiant for children to retain it and be fluent.
Yes, I agree with you. As a parent it's your responsibility to teach your child his or her purpose, origin and etc in life. I don't want my child to experience the feeling of being left out.
no children should be thrown away. feeling heart wrenching for the adopted kids cause no matter how “normal” they are trying to be, you can see through their “act” which is the result of days after days of self comforting. This is the saddest thing.
I wish this had come out about 30 years ago. I still can't get info about my information before I was adopted. And I am pretty sure I have relative in Korea, but can't get anywhere in finding out. And I know a lot about my years before I was adopted with my younger brother.
Mark, there is an entire community of Koreans in the same situation, I started by doing a DNA test, then found that there is a group on FB, Korean American Adoptees, that are all in similar situations as you.
why do you want to find out what happened to you? it's only going to be an unhappy story.
truth is ugly, your Korean relatives in Korea don't give a damn about you.
If you manage to find them somehow, it's not like they will welcome you with open arms.
they will just say, "so what if we are related? what do you want from me?"
@@davidjacobs8558 what a horrible thing to say. you don't know whether or not hiss relatives give a dam about him. they even said in the video some babies were given away without the parents consent/taken from them by family members. how do you know he wasn't one of those babies?
@@minuxo3062 I can say with 99.99% certainty that Koreans don't care about anybody who is not their biological son or daughter. cousins and nephews are not much more than complete strangers. If you are of in-laws, you are worse than strangers. that's how it rolls in Korea.
@@davidjacobs8558 explain the foster mother then. That wasn't her biological son and even so many years later she still cared enough to see him.
My cousin is an adoptee from Korea. As we knew each other from infants, I never thought of him as being different or not belonging. As we grew up, he began to experience many of the difficulties in this video and I was confused at the time, not understanding why or what was going on. While i can't ever fully appreciate the difficulties adoptees face growing up, I did experience a sliver of it through one of my closest relatives. Hats off.
everyone experience hardship as they grow and mature and just generally living human life.
but adopted child will think "Is this happening because I'm adopted?"
All adoptees have Identity issues to overcome but mixed race adoptions make it a bit tougher because it's not just an internal struggle but also external. Identity issues esp through childhood trauma affects many different people(orphans, biracial, sexually confused, ect). They want to BELONG because they didn't feel like they belonged as a child.
Well he shouldn't have experienced any difficulty unless he was facing racism from somewhere else.
In the teenage years, that is when puberty hit and the confusion start. It is like they are alternating between maturity and immaturity. Puberty is when all sort of problems arise like identity problems. It just one of the most hard and confusing weird for most people. For adopted children, their identity crisis hit them hard the most during that time.
Trauma of loss comes up later in life
It must be hard to do something like this as a 13 year old. Low to mid teenage years are kind of a difficult age in terms of knowing or expressing yourself. But I can totally see why he would want to do this and I hope he can go back again when he's older.
I shed some tears unconsciously towards the end ...
"anyone look familiar"
Lol Savage dad
Yes. Please keep making these films
Such brilliant work, Dolly! It's so good to see you producing AJ+ stories!!!
I'm an Amer Asian adopted at the age of 12 (Holt adoption agency), in 1979. I'm now 54, retired and happy to be here in the states. This made me cry, knowing how many Amer Asian kids still suffer to this day in that country. I was old enough to remember Korea, and I feel blessed to have been adopted at such an "older " age.... thanks a million for doing this piece.
As an adult TCK who has many serious family issues, I can relate to adoptees in so many ways. I want adoptees to know that they're not alone, hope that they love themselves and find inner peace.
For me, this video was amazing. I came across if randomly. I cried almost the entire video. Thank you for sharing...
As a biracial woman (half Ghanaian) who is not adopted; I feel a strange connection to these kids. No matter how much love and care our parents give us, there’s just always a part of you that knows were different, and it makes it hard to feel fully connected to either cultures. This longing to just feel “normal” seems to never go away.
This was touching.
I had no idea so many Korean babies were internationally adopted.
@Fangirl 791 That's so sad. :(
Fangirl 791 how has the process become more difficult? like in what circumstances if you don’t mind me asking.
I'm not crying... you are😢
What an amazing story.
I really think its courageous for parents who decide to adopt children. Its a challenge and a blessing.
Thank you so much for sharing this informative and touching story/stories. To have the opportunity to experience where you came from and to possibly meet birth family...there is no way to describe the tremendous amount of overwhelming feelings. It is a lot to take in. I think that these young adults handled these experiences very well. It is wonderful that their adoptive parents are there giving them all the support and love. My birth mom gave me life, but the loving people who raised me are who I consider "my parents" -- mom and dad. Infant Korean adoptee 1971.
I went on the same tour in 2016 and the year before this one. I had no idea Al Jazeera was filming last year's trip! Great video. Credit to Alex for being on camera his first time back at that age. His mom seems like a very educated and informed person too.
Beautiful and heartwarming video ❤️
dam, this was a tear jerker
I love how much he is loved. Very blessed!
That was really heart wrenching.
Our now 15-year-old son was adopted. Although we're Danes, we can full related to this. Two years ago, we traveled to Seoul on our own and visited some of the sites related to his adoption. Many of the said things in this video is similar to the thoughts and sentences we have had. We have been very open about his adoption (with certain limits though), have said the same things about having three mothers and being crazy about the snacks. Thanks for this emotional video. Cheers
I was adopted, been studying adoption for a few years, a book I am reading call “AdoptionLand” from orphans to activists is a great book to hear stories of children being adopted from Korea, a lot of it is very eye opening to me, and is pretty heart breaking, been hearing how lucky I am and how I need to just be grateful, after digging just a little into how the adoption industry works, it helped me realize why I felt the way I always felt internally. Most people are not educated at all on adoption who speak to adopted children. Education on adoption is very inexpensive.
God bless the parents who gave them up for a better future.
God bless the parents who adopted the kids for a better future.
I hope Alex enjoyed Korea and learn more about his heritage.
I wish nothing but the best for all of these adoptees. For bright futures, and accepted into the societies they are adopted into.
Adopting parents are Angels on earth,let's thank them
Thank you so much for this video
such a wonderful story, thanks a lot!!
Wow, I cried when I saw the foster mom cry 😭😭
I've always wanted to adopt so it's great that I can see these videos to understand more to better handle anything that comes with my future kid.
I've met quite a few Korean Adoptees in Korea. Some look for their birth parents but some don't they're just back in Korea to explore their roots. Most of them doesn't speak Korean they just look Korean but are American inside. It's fascinating meeting them when I've only heard stories on RUclips. Most of them are really fortunate on how their lives turned out to be. I'm really happy for them
Thank you for the video!
Language plays very significant role for adapting to a new environment.
I was adopted from South Korea and have struggled with my identity a lot even though my parents are amazing. I also grew up in a city that was not diverse at all and went through a lot of the similar things in this. I definitely want to go back sometime
Pamela Gc that's closer to enough and I don't think that a child saying they want to search for their birth family is bad or unreasonable. Like I only see my adoptive parents as my parents. I do want to know about my birth mother and if she's okay, if she remembers me and stuff. It could also depend on how old was the child when she/ he was adopted. But honestly, I feel like if you are open with adoption and willing to talk it will actually make it easier. I was involved in Korean culture camps and they made my childhood a lot easier seeing other kids that looked like me. I wish I learned Korean though and was immersed more with the culture in my teenage years besides being a CIT for the camp.
I empathize but I grew up near NY so a little more diverse but I never engaged with my Korean identity until college.
I started crying when they met his foster mom
the foster mom alex met was so cute bless her heart for taking care of these babies
Wow very informative.
Great Job Dolly!
I lost it when Alex met his foster mom, it was so touching.
very touching
I am adopted from South Korea. I was from Seoul my mother was 18. I also have a half biological sister who lives thirty minutes away from me and was adopted by my adoptive aunt. This video was so relatable lol. I am so lucky to have stumbled upon this video my sister and I would love to try to find our bio mom or our mom who blessed us with life.
This made me tear up.
I'm not adopted but when I was in my 20s I lived in Taiwan and had a serious relationship with a lady there. I found out that she was pregnant and a few months later I had to leave Taiwan because my Visa was expired. After that I lost complete contact of her. This happened in the early 90s so the only way of communication was through a phone call. I went back to Taiwan two years later but I it turns out she had moved to some other city.
find her and ask for forgiveness
Bruh yo child could b reading dis rn
so your child may have been given up for adoption.
@@MissSyntha It's not his fault
Dude - you don't have her ID number or something like that? Obviously hindsight is 20-20, but seems a bit irresponsible.
Omg, tell him he needs to go to Concordia Language Villages, I’ve been there for 4 yrs and counting at the korean camp, and it is amazing!
I was there when I was a kid - how cool!! Great recommendation!
Such touching stories! its something innate we all want to be loved and somehow belong.
This made me cry
I'm adopted from South Korea, I've thought about want to go to SK, but now I don't want to, not because of the video but hours of therapy! I was bullied growing up! I was adopted into a big military Itialian family, I have 7 siblings!
Hey Alex, I am adopted and from South Korea and live in America! Stay strong man 💪💪👊
Did anyone else have a teary moment by the end?
I’m a Korean American adoptee too. This video hits hard. Very informative too. I hope I can find my birth family and go to South Korea someday.
Your government and former country betrayed you, so sorry for your hardships. .
Nobody:
Boy: It looks like your eating thanos
Ive known many sk adoptees, everyone is scarred one way or the other. There is tendency to sugarcoat the situation the birth parents were in where they reluctantly had to give up their children but in fact 99% of the cases are results of irresponsibility being parents. Its tragic.
I live in MA & one of my former co-workers was also adopted from S.Korea.
am envious, look at all the love his getting from the two moms. Alex is lucky
He said that he grew up in Arlington, and that it wasn't very diverse, but living really close there, I'd say it's pretty diverse? There's a pretty big Korean population in northern Virginia from my experience, I'm sorry if I'm wrong haha
I get what he’s saying I went to Virginia and I commented on how white it is while my white friends told me it was pretty diverse. People of color and white people have different definitions of diverse I found which is understandable
@@camishavilme7402 haha I can understand that,though I'm indian and I'd say it's diverse
Great Idea!
you are fortunate to have such loving parents. not everyone are lucky
Early on I had a good self esteem so being adopted didn’t bothered me. Also, I don’t blame whoever person brought me into this world for anything. I believed my life is my own making, either good or bad. And, any weaknesses, I found a way to use as fueling to strengthen and move on to have a optimistic out look of life. Life is the what you make of, it’s up to individuals.
Heartwarming 💖
The foster mother though....she is a real matriarch. She loved him for so long, not knowing exactly what happened to him, but welcomed him back fully
Why am I sobbing
Very emotional
5:16 looks like your eating thanos 😂
Honestly any children of immigrants can relate since I myself was born in Canada but my family were from Cambodia. When I did visit 10 years ago it felt so strange being around people who are supposed to be of the same ethnic origin but also not necessarily feeling at home at all.