On April 23rd, 2021, The George Washington University Institute of Korea Studies (GWIKS) hosted its annual signature conference. The conference was moderated by Roy Richard Grinker, Professor of Anthropology, International Affairs, and Human Sciences at The George Washington University. The distinguished speakers were Todd A. Henry, Associate Professor of History at the University of California San Diego and specialist of modern Korea with a focus on the period of Japanese rule and its postcolonial afterlives, and Eleana Kim, a cultural anthropologist with specializations in kinship, migration, political ecology, STS, and multi-species ethnography. They were followed by Susie Woo, Associate Professor of American Studies at California State University, and Sun Hee Engelstoft, a Korean-born documentary director based in Copenhagen.
Roy Richard Grinker began the event by describing how GWIKS was founded and what its role is now. Eleana Kim opened the event, followed by Dr. Henry. Dr. Susie Woo then gave a presentation entitled “Korean Transnational Adoptions: Historical Contexts” in which she discussed the effect that the US Military Occupation of Korea between 1945 and 1948 had on Korean Transnational adoptions. The U.S. sent military men to spend time with Korean orphans and then took photos and widely publicized them in the U.S. This led to the creation of the rescue narrative surrounding Korean transnational adoptions and the high demand for Korean orphans to adopt. Stories and photos were spread in American media of Korean adoptees adapting to American culture and fitting in easily with their new families. Organizations were formed to help facilitate these adoptions and in 1961, the first permanent US transnational adoption law. More recently, transnational adoptions have declined. Professor Grinker then asked Dr. Woo some questions from the audience. Sun Hee Engelstoft then introduced her film “Forget Me Not,” her first feature-length film about women and girls’ reproduction and adoption processes in South Korea. She described her reasoning for creating the film and her process. Following the film, Ms. Engelstoft discussed her difficulties in creating a film that was related and similar to her own experiences as a Korean adoptee. She explained that she began making this film with the question: how can a mother relinquish her child? The panelists then shared their reactions to the film and asked Ms. Engelstoft questions about it. The event concluded with Dr. Grinker sharing some of the comments from the audience about the film, expressing their gratitude to Ms. Engelstoft for creating such a meaningful piece.
