"I've always wanted to return to my homeland, Korea. I've long wondered if I could find more information about my birth mother or meet some of my biological family."

Korean-American adoptee Abby Goodrich (Korean name Bae Kym Young, 47) shared her story of searching for her roots with the Adoption Support Team at the Korea National Center for the Rights of the Child on the 6th. "I've always been curious about why I was adopted when I was young," she said.

According to her adoption records, Bae was born in Seoul on October 24, 1977, and was adopted by a family in the United States through Holt Children’s Services the following April. She mostly lived in Arizona and worked as a graphic designer after graduating from college. "It was difficult growing up in an environment with many white people," she confessed. "There was no one who really understood me, and I often felt like something was missing."

To connect with other adoptees, Bae regularly participates in a Korean adoptee group. In 2011, she visited Korea for the first time to attend an event hosted by the International Korean Adoptee Associations (IKAA) and checked her adoption records at the adoption agency. With the help of local authorities, she found the names of her biological parents and their address at the time, but discovered that her father had already passed away and was unable to contact her mother.

Bae expressed hope, saying, "My birth mother was young when I was born, so there is still a possibility that we could meet again."