A Tale of Two Motherlands: Bridging the Gap Between the American and Korean Identities of Korean War Adoptees

In 1955, Harry and Bertha Holt successfully petitioned for the passing of Private Law 475 (Holt Bill), allowing for the adoption of eight orphans from South Korea. This was the beginning of a global revolution in transnational and transracial adoption. Prior to this, the idea of adoption outside of the United States was seldom possible; however, the work of the Holt family rationalized with the pubic and garnered much attention from the government and media. Even more so complicated was the idea of mixed-race Korean children, fathered by American G.I.s stationed in the country during the Korean War. Their existence challenged conventional American views of race and hereditary purity. This paper aims to explore the story of Korean orphans in the United States. Moreover, it will attempt to further understand the process of “Americanization,” which these children were subjected to. The work will also consider the ways in which both the United States and South Korean governments handled these adoptions. Undeniably, the media played an important role in influencing not only the general public but also the images of the Korean orphans and their families, both biological and adoptive. Finally, this paper will analyze the long-term effects of transnational and transracial adoption on children, taking into account the research of scholars prominent in the field. This will include the study of identity-formation and cultural maintenance in relation post-war Korean adoptees.