Established a support system for Norwegian adoptees, including traveling to Korea seven times to find their roots
(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Park Hyun-soo = "I am neither completely Norwegian nor Korean, but the process of living with both cultures is ultimately a journey to understand myself."
In an interview with Yonhap News on the 21st, Park Seon-ah (Norwegian name Sun Maria Lehmann), president of KAN (Korean Adoptees Norway), a group of Korean adoptees in Norway, who visited Korea to attend the '2026 World Korean Adoption Conference' hosted by the Office of Overseas Koreans, explained the meaning of her time and identity as an adoptee in an interview with Yonhap News on the 21st.
He said, “Adoptees live among different cultures,” and “It is important to fully accept this as an asset rather than denying it as a wound.”
Chairman Park, whose hometown is Geumsan, South Chungcheong Province, was adopted by Norway in 1974 when he was around three years old. Currently, she lives with her husband and two sons in Trondheim, Norway, and works as an IT expert.
The first time he set foot on Korean soil after living in Norway was to attend the 2023 International Korean Adoptee Association (IKAA) conference. Although he had visited other Asian countries, he said that Korea gave him a completely different feeling.
“When I arrived at the airport, a feeling that was difficult to explain came over me. It felt like something deep inside my body was saying, ‘I’m home.’”
Among those memories, the thing that remained the clearest was ‘kimchi.’ “I had never tried kimchi before,” he recalled. “The moment I tasted it for the first time, I intuitively felt that I had been missing this taste my whole life.” Kimchi was not just a food, but a valuable medium that awakened his sense of home.
But my first visit to my home country was not a time of joy. This is because, after arriving in Korea, I found out that my biological mother had already passed away through my aunt, whom I found with difficulty through the Children's Rights Guarantee and the Overseas Adoptees Alliance (GOAL).
He said that although he had a period of mourning while visiting his mother, the feeling of loss of not being able to meet him while she was alive still lingers in his heart. There were no records left of his biological father, and although he confirmed the existence of his half-siblings, he could not even find a way to contact them.
“My relatives welcomed me very warmly, but the reality of not being able to meet my mother or know anything about my father still hurts.”
Since then, Chairman Park has visited his home country seven times so far to interact with relatives and show solidarity with adoptees. My personal journey naturally led to activities in the Korean adoptee community in Norway.
An important purpose of this visit to Korea is to carefully collect various support information from Korean government agencies such as the Office of Overseas Koreans and share it with local members in Norway, and to learn the operational know-how of adoptee organizations around the world.
KAN, which he leads, was founded in January 2024 and currently has about 100 active members.
Chairman Park explained, “Existing adoption organizations were often run centered around adoptive parents, so the voices of adoptees were not sufficiently reflected,” and “an inclusive community centered on the adoptees themselves was needed.”
As a corporate project manager, he also built a member management system using his experience in operating and leadership of a 300-member global community.
Currently, Chairman Park is focusing his efforts on preparing for the conference to be held in Oslo, Norway on June 20th. This event, sponsored by the Korean Overseas Korean Office and the Oslo local government, is designed in the form of a showcase where writers and artists who were Korean adoptees participate and introduce their academic and artistic achievements to the public.
At the event, a talk will be held to share how adoptees have overcome their mental health and identity issues through art and literature. A presentation on the Korean language learning experience of a translator who translated novelist Han Kang's works into Norwegian is also scheduled.
Chairman Park said, “This is an event open to not only adoptees but also any locals who are interested in Korean culture and adoption issues,” and added, “I hope this will serve as an opportunity to expand understanding of adoptees in Norwegian society.”
The long-term goal of KAN that he envisions is to build a ‘database (DB) for Korean adoptees in Norway.’ This is to provide systematic support to adoptees who are having difficulties because they do not know the necessary information and administrative procedures when visiting Korea or searching for a family.
He emphasized, “Currently, related information is too disconnected,” and “I want to create a practical guidance system so that adoptees do not wander alone.”
Another goal of Chairman Park is to study Korean. There are no Korean schools or King Sejong Institutes in the area where they live, so they rely on online classes and self-study. Participating in language training is not easy as I work concurrently with my work life.
He said, “Studying Korean is really difficult,” but expressed his simple wish, “Someday, I want to be able to talk naturally with my relatives without an interpreter and spend more time together.”
Chairman Park has a dream while leading KAN. The goal is to create a warm and transparent community where all Korean adoptees in Norway can feel “I want to be a part of this, too,” without feeling left out.
