Abandoned as an Orphan at Age 3 and Adopted in the US, Then Deported... Court Orders Holt to Pay 100 Million Won Compensation

A court has ruled that an adoption agency must pay hundreds of millions of won in compensation to a man in his 40s who was adopted to the United States over 40 years ago but was deported for being an undocumented immigrant.

Seoul Central District Court. / Photo by Mun Ho-nam munonam@

On the 16th, the 18th Civil Division of the Seoul Central District Court (Presiding Judge Park Jun-min) ruled in the first trial of a damages claim filed by Shin Song-hyeok (46, Adam Crabcer) against Holt Children's Services (Holt), ordering "the defendant to pay the plaintiff 100 million won."

Shin was adopted to the U.S. at age 3 in 1979 but was later abandoned. He was adopted again at age 12 but was abandoned again at 16. Having been rejected by two adoptive parents, he was unable to properly apply for citizenship, and during the process of reissuing his permanent residency in 2014, his juvenile misdemeanor record was revealed, leading to his deportation to Korea in 2016, separated from his children.

In 2019, Shin filed a damages claim of over 200 million won against the government and Holt. Shin’s side pointed out that despite having a biological mother, Holt created an orphan registry without listing parental information and sent him for adoption, holding Holt responsible. They also held the government accountable for failing to fulfill its duty to assist and verify the acquisition of nationality for adopted children, despite collecting high adoption fees.

On this day, the court recognized Holt’s liability for compensation but dismissed the claim against the government.

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