Martin Kristensen, 32

Adopted to Denmark in 1991

Little brother to Mia Holm Kristensen

“Other adoptees searched for years, some in vain, but after only two and a half weeks I was informed that the adoption agency had made contact with my mother and siblings. It was communicated via email through the adoption agency and it often took five to six weeks before I received a response. The wait felt like the longest of my life. In the meantime, I connected with some family members on social media. They invited me to visit in January for a Korean holiday. We texted almost daily in the month leading up to my visit.

Sara Anderberg, 43

Adopted to Denmark in 1981

“When I got off the plane in Seoul in May, reality hits me like a fist in the face. In the terminal, a screen lights up with the words "Welcome to South Korea". It is here, in this moment, that my natural defenses begin to crumble.

In the urban jungle, I am not only perceived as the Danish person I have always felt I am. I blend in with the crowd and am seen as Korean, and it awakens something in me that I wasn't prepared for.

Silent roots (ongoing)

Julie Kjær Mortensen, 31

Adopted to Denmark in 1992

“Six months before the trip to South Korea, I was gripped by a sense of paralysis. I was balancing on a thin line between hope and fear. Letters sent through the adoption agency to my birth parents ruled my life, and the fear of what the outcome would be rose up like an impassable wall. Where was the agency in all of this? Did they even want to help me? Could I trust them? Were they siding with my parents?

Read the full story here (Danish)

Mia Holm Kristensen, 37

Adopted to Denmark in 1987

Older sister to Martin Kristensen

“When I was pregnant eight years ago, the questions came suddenly during an examination. The doctor asked if there were any known diseases in my family, and the moment she asked, I really, really wanted to know my biological family. For the sake of my child.

But the thought quickly disappeared. I didn't do anything about it, because I couldn't just briefly approach my biological mother and ask if there were any diseases I should know about. And then disappear from the picture again.