More Korean Kids Ending Up in Foster Care

This story looks at some of the reasons behind the increase in Korean population in the Los Angeles foster care system.

“According to the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) in Los Angeles, the number of Korean children in foster homes has risen steadily in recent years, an effect of the increasing number of divorced or single parents choosing to give up their kids for adoption.”

“DCFS says the number of such abandoned children has spiked in recent years, attributing the rise to increased instances of unwed mothers and broken families within the Korean community. They add that while the number of such cases is still relatively small compared to the larger population, among Asian communities the situation has grown particularly acute.”

“Kim added that most women were either international students from Korea or Korean Americans in their early 20s, and that a majority of them were driven to give their children up for adoption out of concern over their own futures.”

Abandoning children with friends or at day care are other ways that this community is using as “alternatives.”

More Korean Kids Ending Up in Foster Care
[Korea Times 3/10/11 by Sueng Jin Yang]

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