Toby Dawson and Lost Children in Korea
This story, if true, is tragic: S Korean claims US skier his son. Here's the claim:

Dawson, 27, was adopted by US parents in 1982, from an orphanage in Seoul who did not know who his parents were.

Kim Jae-su, 52, said his lost son went missing during a shopping trip with his mother near a market in the South Korean city of Busan, in 1981.

Dawson was found near the same market, South Korean's Yonhap news agency said.

One of the things I fail to understand here in Korea is how common it seems for children to be permanently separated from their parents after going missing during shopping trips. One hears about these cases on TV shows all the time and signs are seen posted on streets telling similar stories. Yes, the markets here are crowded and I can see how it would be very easy to lose a small child, but it seems that it should not be too difficult to reunite a lost child with his parents.

Perhaps the blame can be placed on Korea's rapid modernization and its destruction of community, societal, and even familial bonds. The cynic in me would say that with foreign adoption being such a lucrative business, it would not be in the financial interest of orphanages to help return a lost child to his parents.

Last week, a fellow K-blogger had an informative post On Orphanages.

UPDATE: This excerpt from Olympic Medalist Is My Lost Son, Busan Man Claims, sheds some light on the character of the man claiming to be Mr. Dawson's biological father:

The Kims say they searched high and low for their lost son. "I didn't think reporting it to the police would be of any help, so I went around looking for him myself," Kim said. The couple covered most orphanages and markets in the city but could only search on their days off and got around on foot or by bus, so their progress was slow.

Kim says the loss of their child was the cause of bitter fights between the parents and eventually led to their divorce. “The missing person’s report was never adequately filed, so seven or eight years ago we got his summons to present himself for physical examination for military duty." Now Kim says he can barely sleep in anticipation of seeing his first son again soon. He says he is willing to submit to a DNA test to confirm his paternity.

Sorry, but if my son or daughter went missing, I'd report it to the police or anyone else who'd listen, even if I thought it wouldn't be of any help. I'd cover all the orphanages and markets in the evenings or quit my job. I'd adequately file a missing peron's report sometime before eighteen years had passed by.