I was moved to tears by the stories about Olympian free-style skier Toby Dawson's reunion with his birth father, who reportedly lost him at a Busan market over 25 years ago.
I remember being told that sometimes children were lost or separated from family and ended up in orphanages and subsequently adopted to the United States or Europe by accident, but until I went to Korea myself and saw just how populous these train stations and markets were, I just couldn't believe it.
According to the Korea Herald,
Smiles and jokes aside, Dawson delved into his past when he asked his father the circumstances surrounding his placement into an orphanage.
The father has long claimed that Dawson was lost at a Busan marketplace. After long hours of searches and visits to local orphanages, he decided to give up.
"I desperately looked everywhere, but I couldn't find you," Kim said. "I'm sorry.
"But I am proud of who you have become, and I am proud that you came all the way to Korea to meet me."
Dawson's parents have said that the orphanage told them that he was abandoned.
I used to think that it was just a story being told to us adoptees to explain or rationalize overseas adoption. Then, in 2000, I appeared on a television show in Korea, Achim Madang. Once a week the show features a 2 hour live special in which persons looking for missing people appear, telling their story and hopefully finding leads to those persons. I was using the show to search for my birth parents.
While waiting for my time, several participants before me told their stories of being separated from their unni (big sister) or oppa (big brother) while on a busy train station or in a market. Not knowing first names of family members or complicated address systems contributed to their separation for many years. It was then that I realized how difficult it would have been for my own kids back home if they didn't know my name but had only used familial terms for their family members. What would they tell the police officer? "I'm looking for big sister and we live in Seoul." Right.
Anyway, I can't help but feel excited for Dawson and his newly found Korean father - yet feel a little cringe that it is being done under such a fishbowl of media sensation (contributed by myself!) both here and in Korea. Dawson says he is starting a foundation,"which will assist overseas adoptees and those who are still waiting to find new families. "I want to be a spokesperson for those who are in my position," he said, frequently putting his arm around his newly found father."
-- posted by Jae Ran