Does my face look familiar? Did you lose a child or have one taken from you and don’t know his/her whereabouts? Did you abandon a child hoping for a better life for him/her? Did your child get lost or runaway?
Today Korean children who were abandoned, relinquished for adoption (either with or without the mother’s knowledge or consent), lost or who ran away are being reunited with their families through the use of DNA testing.
***My DNA sample is on file with Korea National Police Agency‘s Missing Person Database, 23andMe.com, Ancestry.com, FamilyTreeDNA.com, and GEDmatch.com***
(Note: If you have already tested at 23andMe, Ancestry, or FTDNA you can upload your DNA raw data from that website to GEDmatch.com since the three U.S.-based companies don’t share databases with one another.)
**Here is a video on how to upload your DNA raw data to GEDmatch.**
Unfortunately there is no all-encompassing database that holds DNA information for everyone of Korean descent. This makes it difficult to search for a lost biological family member. However, there are a few options that are utilized most often by Korean adoptees and Korean birth families who are searching for one another:
1.) If you live in Korea or plan to visit, stop by any police station and tell them you want to submit your DNA sample to the national missing persons database in hopes of locating a lost family member. They will collect your saliva sample and send it in for testing free of charge. Some locations such as Seoul, Mapo, and Daegu are more accommodating than others.
To compare your DNA sample with mine, please contact:
Shin Myong Sook, Captain-in-charge Korean National Police Agency Center for Finding Missing Children (182)
Email: 76world@hanmail.net
Telephone: 02-3150-2149 or 0101-8723-5476
DNA 샘플을 저와 비교하시고 싶으시다면 아래로 연락 주시기 바랍니다:
신명숙, 담당 경찰관 한국 사이버 경찰청, 여성 청소년과 182 미아 가출인
이메일: 76world@hanmail.net
전화번호: 02-3150-2149 휴대폰:010-8723-5476
2.) 325Kamra is an organization whose volunteers work to reunite Korean families that have been separated by “war, adoption, death and tragedy by DNA testing Korean adoptees, armed forces personnel who served in Korea, and anyone of Korean descent to expand the worldwide database.”
• If you live in the United States and are interested in receiving a DNA kit, please email: kvets23andme@gmail.com
• Birth parents who live in Korea can request a free DNA kit by contacting the 325Kamra office in Korea:
HP: 010 7437 7543
Email: 325KamraKR@gmail.com
Website: https://www.325kamra.org/
3.) If you live in the United States, you can submit your DNA sample to the Korean Consulate in Los Angeles. **Shared from this blog**:
• First, email the Korean Consulate to set up an appointment:
consul-la@mofa.go.kr
• Follow-up by calling 213-385-9300, ext 321. Appointments are only available on Tuesdays between 2PM and 4PM. You may reach a Korean voicemail recording. Keep calling until you reach a person and ask for someone who speaks English and explain your situation to him/her.
• Next you will need to go to the Korean Consulate in Los Angeles in person. Be sure to bring the following information:
‣ ID (drivers license, passport)
‣ Adoption papers and information
‣ Date of adoption
‣ Korean name
‣ Description (height, weight, any identifying marks, etc.)
‣ Name of your adoption agency; preferably on the Korean side
‣ Where you were adopted from in Korea and the country to which you were adopted (U.S., Denmark, Italy, etc.)
For more information, contact:
Korean Consulate of Los Angeles
3243 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90010
Tel: (213) 385-9300 ext. 321
Links to Korean Embassies: http://overseas.mofa.go.kr/returnInfoPage.do
The appointment itself takes about 20 minutes to collect your adoption information and DNA sample.
**Learn how to submit a good saliva sample for DNA testing here.**