English Reading Practice - 0003 Korean adoptees

In the last 60 years, more than 200,000 Korean babies have been sent overseas for adoption. Korea's international adoption began in the early 1950s just after the Korean War. Since then the number of children sent for overseas adoption has continued to grow mainly because of the country's deeply entrenched Confucian values, which put emphasis on a pure bloodline. "The practice of stigmatizing unwed mothers has also played a big role," said Helen Roh, social welfare professor at a university. "They were basically forced to give up their kids for adoption because of economic difficulties and social stigma," she added. About 90 percent of Korean adoptees are born to unwed mothers, according to recent data.