Adoption, Colonialism, and the Korean War

About this episode

This episode discusses the history of intercountry adoption from Korea to the United States, focusing on the impact of the Korean War and the adoption industry that emerged thereafter.

*The history that this podcast episode explores involves harm and neglect to children and some listeners may find the details disclosed distressing. In this episode of the Explaining History Podcast, we are joined by Paige Towers to discuss her new book, What They Stole – a deeply researched exploration of intercountry adoption from Korea to the United States, rooted in a family tragedy that shook her Iowa hometown. The book begins with a shocking event: in 2008, a local bank vice president murdered his wife and children before taking his own life. For Paige, this was a window into a much larger and darker history – the story of Korean intercountry adoption, which began in the aftermath of the Korean War and continued for decades with little oversight or accountability. We trace the origins of modern intercountry adoption to the mass displacement of children during and after World War II. In Italy, Greece, and Germany, orphans filled the streets, and American GIs and missionaries began taking children home – often through informal, unregulated channels. By the time the Korean War ended, a full‑blown adoption industry had emerged, driven by a combination of military…

People in this episode

Host: Nick Shepley

Guest: Paige Towers

Topics covered

• intercountry adoption
• Korean War
• colonialism
• family tragedy
• historical exploration
• military humanitarianism

Keywords

• adoption
• Korea
• colonialism
• children
• history
• military
• humanitarianism
• Christian missionaries
• Harry Holt
• Bertha Holt

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Explaining History Podcast

Books & works: What They Stole

Places: Iowa

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