Park Sun-young, second from right on the left side, chairperson of Korea's Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), meets Camilla Bernt, second from left on the right side, head of the Norwegian Investigation Committee on Intercountry Adoption, at the TRC office in Seoul, Thursday. Courtesy of TRC

Korea and Norway agreed Thursday to cooperate on investigations into intercountry adoption irregularities and support the rights of affected adoptees, as both nations conduct separate probes into past adoption practices.

Korea's Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) Chairperson Park Sun-young met with Camilla Bernt, head of the Norwegian Investigation Committee on Intercountry Adoption, in Seoul, where the two sides agreed to share their respective investigative findings.

Their meeting took place a day after the TRC announced the initial findings of its yearslong probe into adoption misconduct from the 1960s to 1990s, which unearthed the Korean government's mistakes and oversights in the process.

The investigation found that inadequate government supervision and administrative failures led to widespread misconduct, falsified documents and corrupt practices.

"Korea is the country from which there has been the highest number of adoptions to Norway, totaling more than 6,500 children. For the Norwegian committee, TRC's investigation is therefore highly relevant. The report will be an important source for our investigation and evaluation," Bernt told The Korea Times in an email.

According to the TRC, Korea sent a total of 6,565 children to Norway between 1969 and 2024, accounting for 32 percent of all overseas adoptions in the Scandinavian nation.

Hundreds of adoptees from Korea, including those sent to Norway, have claimed their adoptions were mishandled and filed cases with the TRC. While the TRC continues its investigation, the Norwegian committee has been conducting its own probe since its establishment in December 2023.

Norway's investigation focuses on examining whether the Norwegian authorities exercised sufficient oversight of international adoptions and whether illegal or unethical practices occurred, rather than reviewing individual cases.

In January, the committee released an interim report on adoption processes involving Ecuador and Colombia, and is currently preparing reports on Korea.

Bernt added that the purpose of the meeting with TRC was "to learn more about their investigation and share our works."

"For us, it is helpful during our visit here in South Korea to meet with Korean authorities to gain a better understanding of the Korean regulations and practices for adoptions both past and present," she said.

"We will also meet with stakeholders such as the adoption agency Holt, which handled all adoptions to Norway from Korea, original parents, relevant organizations and researchers."