Sweden halts adoptions from South Korea after claims of falsified papers on origins of children

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Sweden’s main adoption agency said Wednesday it was halting adoptions from South Korea, following claims of falsified papers on the origins of children adopted from the Asian country.

Swedes have been adopting children from South Korea since the 1950s. On Wednesday, the head of Adoptionscentrum — the only agency in Sweden adopting children from South Korea — said the practice is now ending.

Kerstin Gedung referred to a South Korean law on international adoptions passed earlier this year, which aims to have all future adoptions handled by the state.

“In practice, this means that we are ending international adoptions in South Korea,” she told The Associated Press in an email.