President Moon explains measures to prevent recurrence of 'Jeong-in case' at press conference on 18th
"Adoption may be canceled or changed within a certain period"
Criticism arises calling it a 'shocking remark'
Blue House petitioner states "Adoption is not about choosing children like shopping"
President Moon Jae-in is attending the New Year's press conference held at the Blue House Chuncheon Hall on the 18th. / Photo by Yonhap News
[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Ju-hyung] On the 18th, during the New Year's press conference, President Moon Jae-in proposed a measure to change adopted children as part of the prevention measures against recurrence of the so-called 'Jeong-in case,' in which an adopted child died due to abuse by adoptive parents. This sparked criticism from some quarters, describing it as a 'frightening remark.' It was pointed out that the statement could be interpreted as suggesting that adopted children can be lightly replaced or sent back.
After President Moon's press conference ended that day, a petition titled "You must apologize to the children waiting for adoption and their adoptive parents" was posted on the Blue House National Petition Board.
The petitioner wrote in the post, "I was horrified after watching President Moon's New Year's press conference today," criticizing the president's remarks as "truly frightening words."
They continued, "If you change the child, would this child (Jeong-in) have lived, and would the replaced child have lived?" emphasizing, "Adoption is not about choosing a child like shopping. Adoption is not about buying a child and returning or refunding if you don't like them."
They added, "Shouldn't the focus be on those people (Jeong-in's adoptive parents) being murderers rather than adoptive parents?" and criticized, "If even the president of this country treats children waiting for adoption and their adoptive parents like that, then who on earth should protect those children?"
On the 13th, condolence wreaths commemorating the victim of the so-called 'Jeong-in case' were placed in front of the Southern District Court in Yangcheon-gu, Seoul. / Photo by Yonhap News
At 10 a.m. that day, President Moon held a New Year's press conference at the Blue House Chunghwagwan, conducted via online and offline video connection, where he addressed issues such as the Jeong-in case and child abuse, stating, "I humbly accept the criticism that proper measures were not in place and, learning from past incidents, we must now firmly establish countermeasures."
He added, "First, a system is needed to detect signs of abuse in children more quickly," and explained, "When suspected abuse situations are discovered, temporary protective facilities or shelters to separate children from parents or adoptive parents must be greatly expanded."
The problematic remark came while explaining measures related to the adoption process.
President Moon said, "We need to better investigate in advance whether prospective adoptive parents can adequately handle adoption, and in the early stages, visit adoptive families multiple times to check if the child is adapting well."
He continued, "Since adoptive parents' feelings can change, within a certain period, adoption can be canceled, or if the desire to adopt remains strong but the child and parent do not match, the adopted child can be changed," adding, "I think measures are needed to protect adopted children while not discouraging but rather promoting adoption in various ways."
While this can be interpreted as a statement advocating flexible operation of the adoption process, concerns arose that it could also be interpreted as suggesting that adopted children can be easily replaced or returned.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
