70% of Overseas Korean Adoptees Are in Their 30s and 40s, Including Supplies for Adoptee Children
[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on the 24th that, together with the Overseas Koreans Foundation, it will provide 370,000 health masks to overseas Korean adoptees residing in 14 countries, including the United States and France, which have been severely affected by the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19).
There are approximately 167,000 overseas Korean adoptees, with about 110,000 residing in various regions of the United States. In addition, they live in European countries such as France, Denmark, and Sweden, as well as in Australia.
This mask support decision was made considering that, although the export of masks overseas is generally prohibited at present, exceptions allow a certain quantity of masks to be shipped abroad if the recipient has family in Korea; however, overseas adoptees find it difficult to receive masks through this method.
An official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs explained, "Accordingly, at the end of April, we conducted a mask demand survey targeting local adoptee organizations through overseas diplomatic missions in each country, and based on the survey results, we decided on the scale of mask support."
Initially, the government planned to support about 100,000 masks considering the domestic mask supply situation, but after the survey period ended, additional demand continued as adoptees kept applying for masks. Taking this into account, the support scale was significantly expanded to 370,000 masks. In particular, since about 70% of Korean adoptees were adopted in the 1970s and 1980s and are generally in their 30s and 40s with children, the quantity for adoptees' children was also included.
However, considering the domestic mask supply conditions, close consultations were held with related agencies such as the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, and the Public Procurement Service to ensure that this support could be provided within an acceptable range.
Based on the demand survey results, the masks are scheduled to be sequentially delivered starting on the 25th to 26 diplomatic missions in 14 countries. Although the operation of flights in each country is not smooth due to COVID-19, the government plans to make every effort to ensure that the masks are delivered to Korean adoptees as quickly as possible.
Of the 370,000 masks, about 210,000, which is more than 60%, will be provided to adoptees in the United States, where their numbers are the largest, and about 160,000 will be distributed to the other 13 countries considering the number of adoptees. The masks arriving at the diplomatic missions will be delivered to about 40 adoptee organizations under the jurisdiction of each mission, and these organizations plan to distribute the masks individually to their member adoptees.
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