The Tearful Reunion of a Mother and Daughter Meeting 'Untact' After 44 Years

Missing Since 1976, Yoon Sang-ae Adopted in the U.S.
Family Found Through DNA Sampling
Reunion via Video Call Due to COVID-19
"Promise to Meet Next Time"

Lee Eungsun (mother), Yoon Sanghee (older sister), and Yoon Sangmyung (older brother), who found their family adopted to the United States after going missing 44 years ago, are having a video call with Yoon Sangae (U.S. name Dennis McCarthy) on the morning of the 15th at the Missing Persons Family Support Center of the Seoul Dongdaemun-gu Police Agency.

This reunion is the first case of confirming biological relationships with Korean families by collecting and analyzing the adoptee's DNA at overseas diplomatic missions through the "Overseas Korean Adoptee Family Search" system.

Due to difficulties in entry and exit procedures by country caused by the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), the families reunited via non-face-to-face video calls plan to meet in person once the COVID-19 situation stabilizes. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] More than 40 years have passed?enough time for the landscape to change four times over. Yet the family never forgot that moment. When their three-year-old daughter suddenly disappeared, the young mother in her 30s searching for her daughter has now become a woman in her 70s.

But she never gave up. Yearning to reunite someday, and grasping at any last straw, the DNA sampling done at the police station led to a dramatic reunion after 44 years. Although the miraculous reunion took place via video call due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the mother and daughter promised to meet in person next time.

At 10 a.m. on the 15th at the Missing Persons Family Support Center in Yongdu-dong, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul, mother Lee Eung-soon (78) and siblings Yoon Sang-myeong and Sang-hee sat in prepared chairs with somewhat tense expressions. Soon, on the monitor appeared Sang-hee’s twin sister, Sang-ae, who had disappeared 44 years ago. Both mother and daughter burst into tears.

Lee Eungsun (mother), Yoon Sanghee (older sister), and Yoon Sangmyung (older brother), who found their family adopted to the United States after going missing 44 years ago, are having a video call with Yoon Sangae (U.S. name Dennis McCarthy) on the morning of the 15th at the Missing Persons Family Support Center of the Seoul Dongdaemun-gu Police Agency.

This reunion is the first case of confirming biological relationships with Korean families by collecting and analyzing the adoptee's DNA at overseas diplomatic missions through the "Overseas Korean Adoptee Family Search" system.

Due to difficulties in immigration procedures caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the families reunited via non-face-to-face video calls, and they plan to meet in person once the COVID-19 situation stabilizes. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

Yoon Sang-hee (older sister), who was adopted to the United States after going missing 44 years ago, is having a video call with Yoon Sang-ae (American name Dennis McCarthy) on the morning of the 15th at the Missing Persons Family Support Center of the Seoul Dongdaemun-gu Police Agency.

This reunion is the first case of confirming biological relationships with Korean families by collecting and analyzing adoptees' DNA at overseas diplomatic missions through the "Overseas Korean Adoptee Family Search" system.

Due to difficulties in entry and exit procedures caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the families reunited via non-face-to-face video calls will meet in person once the COVID-19 situation stabilizes. Photo by Moon Ho-nam munonam@

Sang-ae went missing in June 1976. At that time, she was a three-year-old child. The family made flyers and searched everywhere but could not find Sang-ae. In December of the same year, Sang-ae was adopted by a family in the United States.

Although much time had passed, neither the mother nor the daughter gave up searching for their family. Hoping for a miracle, they visited the police station. Sang-ae came to Korea in 2016 to find her biological parents and had her DNA sampled. Mother Lee also visited the police station in 2017 to find her child and had her DNA sampled.

The miracle began then. The National Forensic Service’s DNA analysis concluded that there was a possibility of a parent-child relationship between the two. However, there was a crisis. To confirm the parent-child relationship once again, DNA sampling was needed, but Sang-ae had already returned to the United States.

A childhood photo of Yoon Sang-ae, who was adopted to the United States. / Provided by Yoon Sang-ae

The turning point came with the implementation of the "Overseas Korean Adoptee Family Search" system starting this year. Under certain conditions, DNA sampling can be done at overseas diplomatic missions. Sang-ae visited the Consulate General in Boston to have her DNA sampled again, and the mother-daughter relationship was finally confirmed. After 44 years of waiting, the dramatic reunion was made possible.

The dramatic face-to-face reunion was delayed due to COVID-19, as entry and exit procedures became very difficult by country. Still, the family confirmed their healthy appearances through a video call and promised to meet in person next time. Mother Lee said, "I think the miracle happened because I never gave up searching for my daughter until the end," and added, "I hope this news brings hope to other families of missing persons."

Kim Chang-ryong, Commissioner of the National Police Agency, stated, "Finding long-term missing persons is not only a matter for the families but a long-cherished wish of the entire nation," and added, "We hope this reunion will be a catalyst for finding more missing children, and the police will continue to devise various and effective methods to discover long-term missing children."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.