AFKs 20 års jubileum (Svensk forum for Koreansk adopterte)

Vi har vært i kontakt med Jonas Angantyr fra AKF og han ønsker alle våre medlemmer hjertelig velkommen til jubileumet deres. Så her er det bare å melde seg på!! Deler av FKA Norge styret vil delta på dette arrangementet

AKF – 1986-2006

Announcing an international conference hosted by AKF

Narrating the history of Korean adoptees

- The adoptee voice and emerging perspectives

Location: Stockholm, Sweden

Venue: Scandic Infra City

Date: May 6-7, 2006

Host: Adopted Koreans’ Association (AKF)

Introduction

This conference will be arranged as a part of the Adopted Koreans’ Association’s 20th anniversary celebrations, together with the banquet and party during Saturday evening. The conferencewill focus on the understanding of international adoption from Korea in a historicizing perspective where adoptees, as the main interest group, are actively participating.

On May 5, the day before the conference, the international leadership meeting of International Korean Adoptee Associations (IKAA) will be held in Stockholm hosted by AKF. The IKAA leadership meeting is the first step towards a major Gathering for Korean adoptees that is scheduled to August 2007 in Seoul. For the leadership meeting and conference a number of international participants and guests are expected from Europe, US and Korea. All lectures and discussions will be held in English.

Main theme and topics

The previous absence of adoptee voices has left many questions both unanswered and unasked, leaving the public view on adoptions from Korea to be influenced mainly by the adoption agencies. In future readings of the history of Korean adoptees, adoptees themselves will not be treated as simple objects but also be present as participating subjects. The theme of the conference will be approached through lectures and panel discussions covering both academic research as well as artistic and journalistic work from an adoptee perspective.

• The discourse of the Korean adoptee community
• Adoptees as subjects/narrators in the forming of a historical understanding of international adoption
• Media and the public view of adoptees and international adoption – who created it and how does it affect adoptees?
• Shaping the future view on the history of today – process, ethics, responsibility, distribution and effects

Sponsors and media contacts

The conference is open for sponsorship and media coverage. Please contact Fredrik Hillerström (fredrik.hillerstrom@telia.com, +46 70 962 31 68) for more information. The expected number of participants is 200-250, the vast majority being Korean adoptees.

Tentative schedule of conference events

Thursday evening

- Social meeting for guests arriving early

Friday– Day 1

- IKAA Leadership Meeting

- Social meeting and dinner (not included in fee)

- Information about traveling to Korea and motherland tours

Saturday– Day 2

- Opening

- Presentations, panel discussion

- Banquet and entertainment

- Party

Sunday– Day 3

- Presentations, panel discussion

- Summary and Closing

- Friendship football game (Swedish Korean Adoptees vs. International All Stars)

Korea Travel Information

During Friday evening at the social pre-warming there will be a presentation about traveling to Korea. The presentation will cover motherland tours, traveling as a tourist and volunteering for NGO’s active in Korea. Many Korean adoptees have already visited Korea but this presentation wants to add new engaging perspectives on Korean travels for both those who are planning a first trip to Korea as well as the more experienced participants.

Exhibition

In connection to the conference there will be an exhibition at Scandic Infra City presenting Korean culture, art, books, travel resources etc. and booths open for commercial or informative purposes. The exhibition will give the conference participants a taste of Korean culture and a better understanding of the various ways to approach their mother country. If you are interested in contributing to the exhibition please contact Martin Im (martin@krita.com).

Friendship Football Match

At Sunday afternoon, after the closing of the conference, AKF will host a friendship football game together with the Korean Sports Association in Sweden (KIFS). The football match will feature Swedish Koreans, the majority being AKF members, versus an international All-Star Team composed by the international guests. The game will be played in a friendly manner to signal the unity of overseas Koreans and hopefully be an inspiration to further international cooperation between Korean adoptees. If you want to participate in the football match please inform the planning committee when registering for the conference.

Presenters

Kim Park Nelson

Kim Park Nelson was born in Seoul in 1971 and adopted at 7 months of age. She grew up in St. Paul, Minnesota. She is currently a doctoral candidate in the American Studies department at the University of Minnesota. Her dissertation positions Korean adoptees as emblems of international geopolitical relationships, and as empowered actors, organizing to take control of racial and cultural discourses about Korean adoption.

Eleana Kim

Eleana Kim is a Ph.D. candidate in cultural anthropology at New York University. She is currently writing her dissertation on transnational adoption from South Korea and has been a participating observer at several important adoptee Gatherings.

Astrid Trotzig 

Astrid Trotzig is an author, free-lancing editor, translator and proof-reader. She was born in Busan, South-Korea, in 1970 and was adopted to Sweden the same year. Her book Blood is thicker than water, which was released in 1996 and later translated to Korean, was the first literary work to illustrate life as a Korean adoptee in Sweden and is still a big seller in Sweden.

Tobias Hübinette

Tobias Hübinette (Korean name: Lee Sam-dol) is a lecturer and researcher in contemporary Korean culture and society at the Department of Oriental Languages, Stockholm University, Sweden. His Ph.D. dissertation in Korean Studies, "Comforting an Orphaned Nation", examines international adoption from Korea, the Korean adoption issue and representations of adopted Koreans in Korean media and popular culture.

Lena-Kim Arctaedius, Chilung Brunnegård

Lena-Kim Arctaedius and Chilung Brunnegård are both founding members of AKF and AKF Gotherburg respectively. They have extensive experience from the adoptee community after many years of active involvement and contribution to the association. Both are working professionals with academic degrees.

Details

Any questions or request regarding the conference should be directed to Fredrik Hillerström or Martin Im (see contact information below).

Open for: The conference is open mainly for Korean adoptees and spouses. AKF members and members of other IKAA (www.ikaa.info) associations will be charged a reduced fee. Special guests will receive individual invitations. If you want to attend the conference and are not a Korean adoptee, please contact martin@krita.com.

Conference fee: SEK 500, the fee includes the weekend conference and meals during Saturday. The fee also includes the banquet and party at Saturday evening. For non AKF or IKAA members the fee is SEK 1600. Payment details follows below. The fee does not include accommodation or transport.

Conference language: All lectures and discussions will be held in English.

Venue: Please see below for more information about Scandic Infra City.

Transportation: Depending on participants’ arrival and departure date AKF will try to arrange transport between the airport and the conference hotel. Please submit this information when registering.

Banquet and party: At Saturday evening a banquet and party will be arranged at Scandic Infra City celebrating AKF’s 20th anniversary. This event is included in the conference fee. It is not possible to attend the banquet and party without registering for the conference.

International Registration

Please send the following information to martin@krita.com with the topic “AKF 20”. You will be officially registered after your payment has reached AKF.

Last name:

First name:

Date of birth (YY-MM-DD):

Country:

Member of IKAA which association (if any):

E-mail:

Phone:

Fax (optional):

Day of arrival and departure:

Personal request (if any):

International payment

Conference fee (non-refundable) of SEK 500 (appr. €55)/participant should preferably be transferred to AKF through:

IBAN: SE06 9500 0099 6042 0349 1024

SWIFT/BIC: NDEASESS

Conference fee (non-fundable) for Korean adoptees who are not members of an IKAA association is SEK 1600.

Please remember to clearly indicate your name on the transfer in order to identify the payment. Verification of your payment and registration will be sent by e-mail shortly after the payment has reached AKF. Please contact your IKAA association about other payment arrangements.

Any questions about payment options should be directed to martin@krita.com.
Accommodation

Hotel Scandic Infra City

Scandic Infra City will be used as conference venue and can provide accommodation for those who prefer this alternative.

Hotel rate is SEK 790-990 per night and room (can accommodate 1-3 adults).

Reservations should be made directly to the hotel.

Reservation code: AKF 0605
Phone: +46 (0)8 517 344 00
Fax: +46 (0)8 517 344 11
E-mail: infracity@scandic-hotels.com

Web site:www.scandic-hotels.se/infracity

Adress:

Kanalvägen 10
194 61 Upplands Väsby
Stockholm
Sverige

Homestay

AKF will arrange homestay alternatives for those traveling to Stockholm. Please contact Mattias Tjeder (mattiastjeder@spray.se) and send him the following information:

1. Number of persons/beds
2. Arrival and departure information
3. Personal requests (allergy etc)
4. Phone number
5. E-mail address

Presentation of AKF

AKF (Adopted Koreans’ Association) is a non-profit nationwide association founded during 1986 in Sweden. The association emerged as the first independent association for Korean adoptees in world, leaving a special mark in the history of international adoption. A number of adoptee associations soon followed in other major adoption countries indicating the growing need for Korean adoptees to meet and form their own open communities. As these communities of Korean adoptees continue to develop AKF is very happy to be a member of IKAA – the International network for Korean Adoptee Associations. During 2006 AKF will celebrate the association’s 20th anniversary by hosting the conference: Narrating the history of Korean adoptees – the adoptee voice and emerging perspectives.

The activities of AKF today focus on three key areas: social events, adoption policies and Korea & Roots. As AKF’s mission states the main purpose of the association is to provide and function as a platform where members can exchange experiences regarding the unique position as being adopted from Korea. AKF provides an exclusive opportunity for adoptees to cooperatively learn more about both Korea and living as a Korean adoptee in Sweden. The identified key areas are meant to satisfy this purpose, encourage growth in knowledge about adoptees, and improve the position of Korean adoptees in society.

Throughout the 20 years AKF has existed the association has had approximately 1000 unique members, of which the vast majority has been Korean adoptees. Many members have passed through, hopefully taking with them important experiences, but some of the first and founding members can still be found within the association. During the last couple of years AKF has seen an increasing return of previous members who are now, at another stage of their lives, rejoining the association to gather more knowledge. As Sweden was a forerunner in international adoption the average age in the association is now above 30, while members are between the ages of 18 to 45.

AKF has received financial support from the Korean Embassy in Stockholm and the Overseas Korean Foundation (OKF), as well as sponsorship from Korean companies and individuals in Sweden. Swedish government support for adoptee associations was introduced for the first time in 2005. Although the association’s resources have been limited AKF has continuously been hosting activities for Korean adoptees and documenting adoptees views and experiences through the magazine Um & Yang. In 2003 AKF helped finance the project Hitta hem which included the first Swedish anthology with Korean adoptees. By hosting the upcoming conference in 2006 AKF hope to further highlight the importance of adoptees’ voices in telling the story about international adoption from Korea.

Background to conference theme

International adoption as we know it today started just 50 years ago with Korea as the primary source of children. Since then we approximate that at least 160 000 children have left Korea for new homes in Western countries. With the adoptions from Korea beginning in the 1950’s the first generations of Korean adoptees are now themselves parents and in the prime of their productive lives. For the first time in history we have a large population of adult international adoptees, at the moment dominated by Korean origin, with the ability to have an impact on the society they live in. As a proof of this we can find stable independent Korean adoptee associations in all major adoption countries, associations with no formal connections to the adoption agencies. In 2004 International Korean Adoptee Associations (IKAA) was established by such associations in Europe and USA, bringing the emerging network of Korean adoptees to an international level. As our position in society has developed so has our potential, and obligation, to include adoptee perspectives in the story of international adoption.

The by far most effective narrative on international adoption emerged during the sixties and it tells a story about needing and abandoned children with little future who, by the good intentions of the western world, find new lives and opportunities in warm and caring families. As with other major narratives it’s based on historically established and understood processes that will not be easily debated, interpreted to fit society’s values of the time and the agenda of its supporters. The story of international adoption took shape during a time characterized by a rather naïve attitude towards intercountry exchange, while we nowadays see a more mature, however also cynical, adoption industry. Today the utopian idea of solidarity and global harmony of the 60’s has been transformed into the concept of the urban multicultural society. In accordance with this updated view on globalization the old narrative of international adoption, which is still very much in effect, has been complemented by sub narratives focusing on the cultural inferiority of the birth countries and the superiority of Western family values. In this context, as adoptees, we too often find ourselves still being seen as commodity and frozen in time with the voice of a child.

The lives and stories of Korean adoptees have mainly been told by a third person; academics, journalists and adoption professionals, not seldom being adoptive parents at the same time. Their words and opinions have typically been coherent with the dominating narrative, while at times challenging it, thus supporting a classic dichotomy. Adoptees, through their absence, have had little influence over the general view on international adoption, as well as issues and policies that affect their lives. But this is about to change. As the population of adoptees has grown older their presence and active participation have started to have an impact on the discourse; expanding the scope and inserting previously untouched topics. The adoptees, today adults, now possess skill and ability to contribute and add much needed diversity to the understanding of international adoption and its effects. Being products of the adoption process we carry first hand experience that can only improve what is currently an unbalanced and incomplete picture. Looking at the future canceling of adoptions from Korea, now is the time to move for a broader acknowledgement of adoptees in the historical understanding of international adoption from Korea.

Contact information

Project manager (head of planning committee and sponsorship)

Fredrik Hillerström

Phone: +46 70 962 31 68

E-mail: fredrik.hillerstrom@telia.com

International Relations (Leadership Meeting and guests)

Martin Im

Phone: +46 70 595 37 19

E-mail: martin@krita.com

Homestay coordinator

Mattias Tjeder

Phone: +46 70 472 60 77

E-mail: mattiastjeder@spray.se

AKF – Adopted Koreans’ Association

Web site: www.akf.nu

E-mail: info@akf.nu

Coference web site: www.madeinkorea.se/akf20