Nicole Motta (left) and her birth father Jang Dae-chang wipe away tears after an emotional reunion, some 40 years after they were separated. Seoul. 
2025 Photo Contest - Asia-Pacific and Oceania - Singles

Korea Adoption Fraud

Photographer

Jae C. Hong

Associated Press
31 May, 2024

Nicole Motta (left) and her birth father Jang Dae-chang wipe away tears after an emotional reunion, some 40 years after they were separated. Seoul. 

Forty years after they were separated, Nicole Motta and her birth father Jang Dae-chang reunited in Seoul. Nicole’s documents say she was adopted from a Korean orphanage in 1985, after being in the care of neighbors. Dae-chang says his family was torn apart following the failure of his business. When he tried to find Nicole, he learned a relative had given her away.

Some 200,000 Korean children have been adopted into the US since the 1950s. An investigation by Associated Press uncovered evidence of fraudulent documentation in many of these adoptions. Children like Nicole grew up searching for their roots, but discovered their life story is not what they thought.

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Jae C. Hong
About the photographer

Jae C. Hong is a staff photojournalist at the Associated Press, based in Los Angeles. Hong has spent 18 years covering local and international news events. His assignments have included numerous Olympic Games, presidential elections, the Russia-Ukraine War, and stories from Japan, South Korea, and Vietnam. As a visual ...

Read the full biography
Technical information
Shutter Speed

1/800

ISO

1.6

Camera

Sony ILCE-9M3

Jury comment

The photographer captures the precise moment of reunion for a father and daughter, conveying a powerful mix of emotions; regret, shame, and relief. The quiet photo speaks volumes, allowing a viewer to witness this personal moment without the photographer's presence overshadowing it. The image draws the viewer into the moment, as if they were standing there with the two, bearing witness, which is especially significant given how the story of fraudulent international adoptions remains so underreported.