Care for marginalised groups through research on adoption and support for adoptees: a conversation with Hyang Eun Kim

Abstract

This interview-based article explores the scholarly and practice-based contributions of Professor Hyang Eun Kim to adoption research and social care in South Korea. Drawing on an extended written interview, the article examines Kim’s reflections on openness in adoption, stigma, post-adoption support, and the changing policy landscape affecting adoptees, adoptive families, and other marginalised family forms. Kim situates her work within a broader critique of bloodline-centred family norms in Korean society and argues for long-term, community-based, and state-supported interventions for families in crisis. The discussion highlights the value of integrated services, early identification of high-risk adoptive families, and stronger collaboration among government, practitioners, researchers, and communities. It also considers the role of international scholarship in strengthening research capacity, public awareness, and policy development. The interview positions adoption not as a one-time legal event, but as a lifelong social and relational process requiring sustained ethical, psychosocial, and structural support.