Nonprofit DNA Database Hopes To Identify Veterans' South Korean Offspring

A United States non-profit organization is building a DNA database that can assist adopted South Korean children find their birth parents, which might include American military veterans.

The organization named 325 Kamra, based in Lexington, Massachusetts, is collecting DNA, medical reports and genealogical information from the potential birth families in order to help them reunite with their biological children, according to a report by Stars and Stripes.

The company is also providing DNA testing kits to the adoptees. These kits are accessible by both South Korean adoptees and the military veterans who have served time in the country.

The report mentioned the story of retired army captain Walter Rettberg, who, after using the DNA testing kit, discovered he had a child named Matthew Suh, who was adopted 40 years ago in South Korea by an American couple.

The report stated Suh grew up wanting to find his biological mother. However, he never thought about finding his father because to him it seemed like an unattainable task. He just knew his father was an American soldier who served in South Korea.

Rettberg, like numerous other Americans, submitted his DNA sample to the site Ancestry, the largest genealogy company in the world, in August. The report stated Rettberg initially was under the impression he would have a biological relative staying in Germany.

What Rettberg didn’t know was that 325 Kamra had provided Suh a DNA testing kit in August 2016. As a result, Suh was linked to Rettberg, which was the first recorded direct match between a father and son for the non-profit organization.

Rettberg reportedly said in a recent telephonic interview, “I was looking for somebody from Germany to say that they were looking for me and I had a long-lost castle or something. … Instead I got Matthew [Suh].”

Maria Savage, the director of 325 Kamra’s South Korean operations said regarding U.S. military veterans trying to find their children, “So many of them have been stationed here for a long time. … So if they remember any encounters that they had then that’s enough for us.”

She added the DNA will also help in the cases where the veterans did not father the children as it might lead to a relative who did.

325 Kamra was brainchild of a group of adoptees in 2015. Till now, the organization has made 41 successful matches, most of whom were siblings or cousins.

The report however stated the company, which is also funded by paid memberships options and donations, is facing an uphill battle. One of the biggest hurdles was social stigma, which prevents women from accepting the children from their past.

With regards to the same, Savage said, “A lot of people have new families… and news like that could tear them apart.”

“We’re trying to focus on having it be a positive experience instead of more shame,” she added.