Relative Strangers

Work-in-Progress

During and after the Korean War, thousands of mixed race children were fathered then abandoned by American GIs. They comprised the first generation of Korean orphans to be raised in the racially polarized West. Now many are searching for their birth families, initiating unexpected discoveries about self, family, race, and culture.

Our protagonists begin their journey during the Mosaic Tour whose mission is to facilitate the return of adoptees to Korea and help them locate their Korean families. They visit adoption agencies, orphanages and former camptowns near Korea’s Demilitarized Zone. They learn that many Korean mothers tried to hide and keep their mixed race children but were coerced by social workers to release them to adoption agencies. Other mothers were promised marriage by their children’s fathers but servicemen were discouraged from getting married by their officers. For many, it is their first time back in Korea since infancy, and their encounters are filled with warmth, sorrow and tenderness but not necessarily resolution.

Determined to leave no stone unturned, they continue their detective work on their return home, this time focusing on finding their American birth fathers. They team up with DNA specialists, research census and military records, and reach out to veterans on social media. Will they find their relatives? And if so, how will they be received? Will their hearts be broken again?

Originating in a war that divided families and an entire nation, Relative Strangers is a story of loss, discovery, and renewal. A longitudinal project that began filming in 2017, Relative Strangers represents Mu Films' continuing examination of the  Korean War and its ongoing legacies. The project is currently in production.

 

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