According to data from the Ministry of Health and Welfare, local courts in Korea granted permission for 863 children to be adopted both in the country and abroad in 2017, down from 890 a year earlier.
The decrease is partly attributable to changes in rules that mandate local courts to review and grant adoptions. Adoptions were previously possible upon registration.
A total of 465 children were adopted in the country in 2017, down from 545 in the previous year. Meanwhile, 398 children were sent abroad for adoption last year, up from 334 a year earlier.