Sending my Thanks To GOAL and KSS for locating my Little Brother who was adopted to The Netherlands!

I would like to thank GOAL and KSS for all their effort and quick response to our messages! I am still overwhelmed and taking everything in from the emails I had received last night from KSS and GOAL. About 1 week ago, another adoptee, of A Piece of my Seoul, suggested that I write an email to GOAL to inquire about my Brother who was adopted to the Netherlands as an Infant. I explained to her that my family in Korea were looking for him and in all honesty, I felt lost and did not know how to go about this search. She told me to start with GOAL and later gave me other suggestions even with the very little information I had. Knowing that I had lost contact with my family in Korea for the last two years as well, I knew I had to do this...I had no way of knowing if they had found him or not.

I emailed GOAL this letter below on August 16,2009. To receive two emails last night stating that they had located my little Brother! They also were able to talk to my family in Korea and give me their current contact information. I would like to share these correspondences with you. And to tell again how amazing these Organizations and Agency has been to find him and to be so quick to reply back to my email! How amazing...I just wrote about my Twin Brothers, of how times has changed with Agencies and Records of then and now (Agencies seeming more proactive and sensitive to the needs of Adoptees and their AP's) to then only days later, receive this help. I am waiting to hear back from my Brother. My mind is filled with so many thoughts. I am just so happy to have found him! And for him to have found me! Please do not let the feelings discouragement or insecurities hold you back from initiating your search!


To bfs@goal.or.kr , Date Sunday, August 16, 2009 11:45 pm


First, thank you for reading this email. I recently became aware of your organization through blogging on the Internet. I am trying to locate my youngest brother, Yoo, Kyung Lee or Yoo, Kyung Ill (유경이 or 유경일). They were twin brothers that I did not know I had until I had reunited with my siblings in 2004 in Korea. You see, I was adopted to the States around 1979 through The Eastern Adoption agency in Seoul. My eldest sister had placed me for adoption sometime after my parents had passed away. My twin brothers were born around 1976 and were placed through either Holt or Eastern Welfare Agency. I do not know this piece of information because my sister cannot tell me exactly how and where they went. But I do know that they were taken to an agency as infants. While they were there, one had passed away due to being too weak. The one that had survived went to an agency in The Netherlands. From there, he was adopted by a family.

I am new to how this works. Don't get me wrong, growing up I have tried to contact Eastern Welfare Agency to find my family but could not communicate in Korean. I did not have the family support to find them. It wasn't until our honeymoon that my husband and I found my siblings. It all happened within three days with the help of our tour guide. It was truly a miracle/fate because we went with a one single lead that led us to find everyone but my brother that I never knew I had. My family in Korea told me that they were researching to find him but I had no contact from them in two years. This is a loss I feared would happen and am trying to see how I can find my family in Korea again as well as my brother in The Netherlands.

I have recently created a blog to tell my story and to connect with other adoptees. There I have some photos of my siblings in Korea and myself as well. I don't know if that would help but it is there if you need to look at it. The address is : http://homeiswithin.blogspot.com

I am very grateful if you and your organization can help me find my brother. If I am contacting the wrong person, please redirect me to the correct contact. Thank you. ***(KyungMee)



From 한국사회봉사회-Korea Social Service.Inc.

Dear Ms. *********,

I am K***** of Korea Social Service where your brother, YOO Kyung Il's adoption to the Netherlands was done back in 1975. And last week we were forwarded your email from GOA'L with a request to find your brother in the Netherlands as well as your Korean family.

Upon your request, we contacted your oldest sister, YOO Kyung Sook, who was very happy to hear about you. In fact, your Korean family asked us for some information about Kyung Il in the Netherlands a couple years ago and last year we got a response from him for his Korean family. Since he has written his contact information in his letter, we think he has been in contact with them so far. For your interest, we would like to share his email address******.
When we called your sister, she said she has lost contact with you since about 2 years ago. And she was very eager to be in touch with you again asking us to give you her email address, ****** and her cell phone number, *********. Actually the email address is her nephew. But since they live very close to each other, she can get the email from him easily.

We hope you will be in contact with your Korean family as well as your brother in the Netherlands.

Best regards!

(Ms.)K******
Korea Social Service, Inc.


Monday, August 24, 2009 12:32 am
From G**** from GOAL



Congratulations on the good news!!! I replied to your mail some days ago but just received it today as returned undelivered. After receiving your mail I had forwarded it to KSS as all adoption to the Netherlands is done through KSS. Your information about your brother being adopted the Netherlands was a big clue.

Please come and visit us if you come to Korea. I really would like to meet you after these mails. Just for your information, we translate letters and we have volunteers for when you are in Korea and need an interpreter.

Congratulations once again :)

G******.