Welcoming remarks for Korea visit by mixed-race adoptee delegation (April 8, 2017)

Kyung jae Kim, President

Korea Freedom Federation 

It is my pleasure today to meet the adoptees who have come to visit their country of birth. I realize that you have taken time out of your busy lives to visit Korea and I wish to extend my most sincere welcome.

Seeing all of you today, grown into wonderful adults and visiting the country of your biological mothers, evokes feelings of great respect. I would like to take this opportunity to thank your adoptive parents, who raised you with love and dedication.
Although your trip is not a very long one, I hope that you will be able to experience something of the “real” Korea on this visit to a country that you have probably been very curious about throughout your lives.

Also, though you may no longer remember the Korean language or the Korean culture, I hope your time here serves as an invaluable opportunity to become reacquainted with your roots and gain a sense of pride and identity as a Korean.

Ladies and gentlemen;

Many of you here today left Korea in the 1950s or 60s and never had the chance to return or even have the opportunity to come in contact with Korean culture.
International adoption is part of the Republic of Korea’s history that is closely connected to its painful experience of war. At the time, as inappropriate as it sounds today, the country may have had no choice regarding international adoption, as it was recovering from the hurts of two recent wars. It is sobering to know that many adoptees struggled with identity issues as they grew up far from the country where they were born.

For the past 60 years, Korea has changed just as much as you have.

The country suffered heartbreak from the Korean War, after which all Koreans took hope and worked as hard as they could to recover. Through economic growth, Korea underwent both industrialization and democratization to achieve its current status in the global community.

It has grown into a country that no longer receives aid but gives it. There is an increasingly greater number of countries seeking to understand how Korea overcame difficulty and rose to join the ranks of today’s most developed nations.

In many places throughout the world, including Asia but also extending to the United States and Europe, ‘hallyu’ has become an established phenomenon—an explosion in popularity of Korean pop music, dramas and traditional food. Korea has become internationally known for its cars, semiconductors and IT—giving rise to the “Made in Korea” brand.

Now that Korea has attained developed nation status, it is time for us to think about how to help everyone present here today—more specifically, what kind of strategies are needed to bring pride and a strong sense of identity to you as a Korean person.

The Korea Freedom Federation, or KFF, has offices in 30 countries and is investing in a diverse range of efforts as a UN ECOSOC NGO to put into practice its love for humanity and enhance the platform for world peace.  

The Federation invites the children of members of its overseas offices and overseas Korean university students to Korea for the “KFF Training Program for University Students at Overseas Offices” event. We also regularly invite the presidents of our overseas offices for workshops and a variety of other activities.

Today, the KFF would like to name each and every person here as an honorary member of our Federation. 

In doing so, we hope that you will continue to engage in activities through your connections with KFF overseas offices even after returning to your homes. By making you honorary members, we hope to provide you with opportunities to visit Korea for “mother country” invitational events.

We will be handing out souvenirs and honorary membership certificates to everyone shortly. After returning home, we hope that you will, as citizen ambassadors, take part in efforts to enhance Korea’s status in the global community by spreading awareness throughout the world of its beauty and history of development.

The KFF is currently planning even more meaningful events for the near future that will promote Korea’s strengths abroad. As such, we ask for your keen interest and support.

Lastly, I would once more like to truly welcome you back to Korea. Through this opportunity, I hope that all of you have the chance to directly experience Korean society, culture and history in addition to reflecting on your identity as Koreans.

Thank you!

[보도자료] 김경재 총재, 혼혈입양인들 연맹 명예회원 위촉

한국자유총연맹 김경재 총재가 4월 8일 이비스 앰배서더 호텔에서 개최된 ‘2017 Mosaic Hapa Tour’ 만찬에 참석해 환영사를 하고 21명의 혼혈입양아 모국방문단에게 명예회원증을 수여했다. 
혼혈입양인 모국방문 행사인 Mosaic Hapa Tour는 “다시 돌아온 어머니의 나라, 한국”이라는 주제로 3월 31일부터 4월 9일까지 진행되며,  'Me & Korea’가 주최하고 도서출판 행복에너지, 대한민국가족지킴이, 파주시, 부평구, 예수사랑교회, 쥬리아, 대한건설협회 인천광역시회 등이 후원한다.
김경재 총재는 환영사를 통해 “전세계 30개의 해외지부와 UN ECOSOC NGO로서의 활동을 통해 인류애 실천과 세계평화 증진을 위해 다양한 노력을 기울이고 있으며, 이제 혼혈 입양인들에게도 한국인으로서의 긍지와 정체성을 찾아드리기 위한 방안을 고민해야 한다”고 지적하고, 
“연맹은 앞으로도 자랑스러운 모국 대한민국을 더 잘 이해하고, 세계에 알리는 계기를 갖고자 향후 입양인과 가족들을 초청하는 모국방문 행사를 마련할 계획이며, 연맹 30개 해외지부와 연계해 본국에서도 다양한 활동을 할 수 있도록 지원할 것”이라고 강조했다.

서울 중구 장충단로 72 한국자유총연맹/ koreaff.or.kr
전화 070-7122-8047 fax 02-2252-4167 / 이메일 kff1234@hanmail.net