Like father, like son

(March 1: Edited to add video link) CNN has a video here.

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Holy public reunions, KAD-man! I hope the media left them alone so that they could have additional time together in private.

From The Korea Herald:

Dawson meets father after 26 years

Few people can find another moment that would eclipse winning an Olympic medal. Yet, Toby Dawson has discovered one – the Olympic bronze medalist was reunited with his biological father yesterday after 26 years.

Known as “Awesome Dawson” for his exploits on the ski slopes that led to a medal in freestyle moguls at the 2006 Turin Winter Olympics, the 28-year-old is excited to begin a new life that now includes a relationship with his father, Kim Jae-su, a 52-year-old bus driver from the port city of Busan.

“This will be a day that I will remember for the rest of my life,” Dawson said during a press conference at Lotte Hotel in downtown Seoul.

Amid constant flickering of camera flashes, Dawson – who was adopted at age 3 by American ski-instructor parents in Colorado – seemed to take his celebrity status in stride, for he is optimistic that the media attention will benefit other adoptees.

Toby Dawson (right) meets his biological father, Kim Jae-su, in Seoul yesterday. [The Korea Herald]

His first task is in setting up the Toby Dawson Foundation, which will assist overseas adoptees and those who are still waiting to find new families. “I want to be a spokesperson for those who are in my position,” he said, frequently putting his arm around his newly found father.

Leah Halmi, the skier’s fiancee knew the reunion would be emotional for Dawson but doubted that he would break down. She was right. “He tends to keep his emotions inside,” she said.

Halmi, however, couldn’t hold back her tears when Dawson and his father embraced for the first time. In broken Korean, Dawson said: “I’ve been waiting a long time, father.”

“This is emotional for me, too, because Toby’s the man who I love,” said Halmi, whose wedding date has been set for April.

Halmi added that Dawson’s parents have long supported their son’s quest to find his biological family. Dawson has a younger brother, also a Korean adoptee, who has already found his biological parents.

Later, a noticeably moved Dawson offered a gift – a red, white and blue Norwegian sweater embellished with a U.S. ski team logo, which is often worn by alpine skiers.

“I am very proud to be able to give my biological father this present,” he said.

Dawson, recently named an honorary ambassador for the Korea Tourism Organization, acknowledged the striking resemblance to his father and younger brother, who was also present for the reunion. All three seemed to have an affinity for sideburns.

Upon seeing his father’s graying, longshoreman-like facial growth, Dawson joked that his were just “baby sideburns.”

Smiles and jokes aside, Dawson delved into his past when he asked his father the circumstances surrounding his placement into an orphanage.

The father has long claimed that Dawson was lost at a Busan marketplace. After long hours of searches and visits to local orphanages, he decided to give up.

“I desperately looked everywhere, but I couldn’t find you,” Kim said. “I’m sorry.

“But I am proud of who you have become, and I am proud that you came all the way to Korea to meet me.”

Dawson’s parents have said that the orphanage told them that he was abandoned.

His father’s answer seemed to have little effect on Dawson. He quickly tried to put the reunion into perspective.

“I’m not here to beat him up for what has happened,” he said, later recounting his “confused” childhood, which was like “being stuck between two different worlds.”

He later added that he would like to set up a meeting between his biological father and his American parents.

Dawson’s mother, who is believed to have started another family after her divorce from Kim, has been located but has yet to reveal herself publicly, according to Dawson’s Korean lawyer.

Kim is one of several Koreans who came forward claiming to be Dawson’s biological father.

“That made it a little more difficult, and I’ve also in the last five years had random e-mails and people contacting me,” Dawson said. “So I had a little bit of distaste for people approaching me and saying that they were my biological parents.”

DNA tests of blood and hair samples confirmed that Kim and Dawson were in fact father and son.

Dawson – who has retired from competitive skiing and is now pursuing a professional golf career while living in Palm Springs, California – is one of more than 150,000 Korean children who have been adopted abroad in the past 50 years, according to the Overseas Korean Foundation.

More than 100,000 of those children found new homes in the United States, while France, Sweden and Denmark took in smaller numbers. Although the number of international adoptions has decreased in recent years, Korea still sends about 2,000 children overseas annually.

By Ethen Kim Lieser
2007.03.01

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From The Korea Times:

After 26 Years, Dawson Meets Dad

By Kim Rahn
Staff Reporter

Toby Dawson, right, U.S. skier and Korean-born adoptee, poses with his biological father Kim Jae-soo, center, and his biological brother, Hyon-chol, at Lotte Hotel in central Seoul, Wednesday. He was reunited with them 26 years after he was lost and then adopted by an American family. / Korea Times Photo by Son Yong-suk

The father cried, and the son soothed him.U.S. skier Toby Dawson, 28, a Korea-born adoptee, reunited with his biological father in Seoul on Wednesday after 26 years of separation.

Dawson looked nervous before the meeting at Lotte Hotel in central Seoul, unlike Tuesday, when he kept smiling during a briefing held after he was appointed goodwill ambassador for Korean tourism by the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) and for PyeongChang, a Korean city bidding for the 2014 Winter Olympic Games.

A DNA test conducted with the help of the KTO confirmed that Kim Jae-soo, a 53-year-old bus driver in Pusan, was Dawson’s father.

When Kim appeared at the hotel, Dawson hugged him, saying, “Dad, you have waited for so long.”

Kim, who began crying upon seeing his son, kept saying he was sorry. Dawson soothed him, saying, “You’re a strong man.”

Dawson, who won a bronze medal in the men’s freestyle moguls event at the 2006 Turin Winter Olympics, said he had good adoptive parents and was given many opportunities but he felt torn between the different worlds of Korea and the United States.

Kim said he lost his son in a crowded street market near his home in 1981. Dawson was sent to an orphanage and adopted by ski instructors from Colorado when he was 3 years old. Kim said he searched for his son, visiting police stations and orphanages, but his efforts were in vain.

When asked whether he understands his father, the athlete said it is difficult for him to fully understand the circumstances at that time. “But I’m not here to beat him up for what happened,” he said.

They were the perfect example of the expression “like father, like son,” with the same face, hair and whiskers. Dawson said he had never imagined what the father would look like but he now sees where he came from, especially the whiskers.

“My son got a scar near his left eyebrow after bumping against a dresser when he was 3,” Kim said. He found the scar on Dawson’s face.

Dawson plans to establish a foundation to help adoptees and orphans in Korea.

“Being caught in limbo between two different countries and not looking like your family are going to be tough. We need to try to keep our children and work a little bit harder to keep these circumstances from happening,” he said.

Dawson gave Kim a sweater with the U.S. national ski team logo on it.

He will spend more time with his family and visit Holt International Children’s Services before leaving for the U.S. on Sunday.

Original Kin (Canada)

I just came across some info about a documentary called “Broken Roots” that aired last night and is scheduled to air again this Saturday on CBC Newsworld (Canada) about a Korean adoptee who returns to Korea. I wish there was a way to view this online.

I don’t particularly like the way that the documentary description exoticizes Korea (“an exotic land,” “his mysterious past”), but I am always interested in biographical documentaries and other stories of family reunions, like David’s story. It seems that he discovers how complex and multilayered reunions can become, after the initial gloss wears off and some of the darker truths about one’s family history start to come out.

Especially in light of Toby Dawson’s reunion with his Korean father this week, it’s important, I think, to bear in mind that reunions aren’t always about “closure” and instant healing. I always wince a little bit when I hear people attempting to differentiate between “successful” and “unsuccessful” reunions — because what defines “success” and what defines a “failed” reunion? Sometimes what might seem on the surface as “successful” can change very quickly, after the introductions are over and the novelty begins to wane.

Good luck, Toby …

… and welcome to the funhouse.

American Athlete to Be Reunited With Korean Father
U.S. Olympic Skier Toby Dawson Meets His Father 25 Years After Being Separated

By JOOHEE CHO

Feb. 27, 2007 — U.S. Olympic freestyle skiing medalist Toby Dawson is to meet his biological father on Wednesday after being separated 25 years ago in South Korea.

In a news conference in Seoul today, Dawson said DNA tests had matched his blood and hair sample with Kim Jae-Soo, 53, a bus driver from the port city of Busan, who said he lost his 3-year-old son at a busy market street 25 years ago.

Dawson was adopted by a ski-instructing couple in Vail, Colo.

Dawson has been openly searching for his biological parents, and had made several trips to South Korea in an attempt to trace his heritage.

At the 2006 Turin Winter Olympics, where Dawson won a bronze medal in men’s freestyle moguls, the South Korean media widely featured Dawson’s personal story and quest to find his parents.

Subsequently, several Koreans came forward claiming to be his biological father.

“That made it a little more difficult, and I’ve also in the last five years had random e-mails and people contacting me, so I had a little bit of distaste for people approaching me and saying that they were my biological parents,” Dawson said at the news conference in Seoul.

Dawson wanted to wait until the media attention cooled down, so he canceled his trip to South Korea just after the Olympics to compete in a freestyle event.

“I wanted to do it the right way,” Dawson said, smiling to reporters. “I’m still in utter surprise. … I’m not even sure it’s really hit me that I really am going to be walking into the same room with this man tomorrow. So I’m kind of anticipating and looking forward to it.”

Dawson is visiting South Korea this week with his fiancee, Leah Halmi, to meet his father and attend ceremonies honoring him as a PR ambassador by the Korea National Tourism Organization and by The 2014 PyeongChang Olympic Winter Games Bid Committee.

Also interested in the welfare of adopted children like himself, Dawson said he would create the Toby Dawson Foundation to help Korean orphanages and adoption agencies reunite families.

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Another article, from the Chosun Ilbo in Korea:

DNA Test Confirms Busan Man Fathered Ski Ace

Kim Jae-su who has been confirmed as the biological father of U.S. skier Toby Dawson. Ethnic Korean Ski Medalist Cancels Korea Visit Olympic Medalist Is My Lost Son, Busan Man Claims

A DNA test has confirmed that a Busan man is the biological father of U.S. freestyle skier Toby Dawson, who took bronze in the men’s mogul competition at the Turin Winter Olympics last year.

According to the DNA test, Kim Jae-su is with more than 99 percent probability the father of the Korean-American skier, who was adopted in the U.S. 26 years ago. The test was conducted by DNA test firm HumanPass at the request of the Korea Tourism Organization late last month. The KTO was asked for a DNA test by Dawson when it contacted the skier to name him as an honorary ambassador for the state-run tourism organization. Kim accepted the DNA test and came to Seoul to present six hairs and epithelial cells from the mouth on Feb. 3. But the test was not conducted as scheduled on Feb. 9, since the blood sample from Dawson did not contain the serum needed for a DNA test. Dawson sent 10 hairs on Feb. 20 and the DNA test confirmed the biological relationship.

Learning about the result of the test, Kim said, “As soon as I saw the picture of Dawson, I knew that he is my lost son Bong-seok.” Dawson’s biological mother remarried after divorcing Kim. Dawson was adopted by an American ski instructor couple in Colorado through Holt Children’s Service in 1982, when he was three years old and living in the orphanage Namkwang Community Center in Busan. In the orphanage, he was called Kim Su-cheol. He had become separated from his mother in the crowd at a local market in 1981.

U.S. skier Toby Dawson arrives at Incheon International Airport with his girlfriend Leah Halmi on Tuesday morning.

After Dawson grabbed bronze at the Turin Winter Olympic Games last year, the story of his search for his biological father hit headlines in Korea. He had already given up on the search at one stage since too many people claimed to be his biological parents.

With his girlfriend Leah Halmi, Dawson arrived at Incheon International Airport from Los Angeles on Tuesday morning. Kim was not there to welcome him. Dawson will leave for the U.S. on March 4 after meeting his long-lost family and attending a ceremony to name him honorary ambassador of the KTO. During the stay, he will also participate in activities to support Pyeongchang’s bid to host the 2014 Winter Olympic Games and visit Holt Children’s Service.

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OK, sorry — back again to post one more, from The Korea Times. This one interests me the most, as many of the things Dawson says resonate with me as well. I am not certain that I’d call life post-reunion “easier,” but perhaps Dawson’s reunion will bring some peace of mind for him and put an end to the intrusions coming from those claiming to be his parents.

Dawson to Reunite With Father

By Moon Gwang-lip Staff ReporterFor many adoptees, meeting their biological parents is a highly emotional affair — a mixture of happiness for having found their roots, along with resentment for having being abandoned for so long.That is what U.S. skier Toby Dawson expects when he meets his biological Korean father Kim Jae-soo, a bus driver in Pusan, today in a Seoul hotel after 25 years of unwanted separation. His father said his son was lost in a street market near his home. “It brings up a lot of emotions to meet my biological father. I am still uncertain of exactly how I feel about it,” Dawson, 28, said yesterday in a press conference at the headquarters of the Korea Tourism Organization, central Seoul. Dawson, a bronze medallist in the men’s freestyle moguls event at the 2006 Turin Winter Olympics, put an end to his longtime search for his biological father recently thanks to a DNA sample test. The state-run tourism agency, who appointed the skier as its honorary ambassador and helped him search for his parents, said Monday an analysis of a Kim’s DNA, conducted on Feb. 2 at Takara Korea Biomedical Inc., a Seoul-based DNA analyzer, showed he is Dawson’s biological father. “I’ve had some happiness. I’ve had a little anger. I’ve been excited to just keep going through all these different emotions,” Dawson said. “It’s going to be exciting and I look forward to meeting this man. “Coming up with ideas of what I would like to say, a lot of them are questions of what happened and why,” he said. Dawson was adopted by ski instructors in Colorado at the age of three after being found in the southeastern port city of Pusan. “I guess the necessary question for me to understand (is) why I was lost for so long and why I was in an orphanage and why the search wasn’t a little bit stronger and his efforts weren’t a little bigger to help come to find me,” Dawson said. So far, there have been dozens of people in Korea who have drawn media attention by claiming to be Dawson’s parents and Kim, 52, was one of them. Kim claimed he lost Dawson, whose Korean name he said was Bong-seok, on a busy market street in Pusan in 1981. Dawson said he has no doubt that Kim is his real father. “I guess we had enough samples and they were able to confirm the match,” he said of the test result he was notified of last week. “And you can’t really disagree with the result because they’ve done it professionally.” In the press conference, which also served as a ceremony for appointing him as the KTO ambassador, Dawson, who is now seeking a career as golfer after retirement from skiing last year, was in a cheerful mood. His American fiancee Leah Halmi, who’s been engaged to Dawson for about a year, accompanied him as Dawson spoke of their plan to get married in April. Dawson was also named an honorary ambassador of PyeongChang, a South Korean city bidding for the 2014 Winter Olympic Games. Dawson, however, was sentimental for a moment as he talked about what he has been through as an adoptee, which eventually led him to begin his quest for his parents. “It’s kind of been uphill for me ever since the beginning,” Dawson said. “(I) really struggled with the fact that I never looked like my parents… It’s kind of always like the Bolds and Italics. “Everyone could definitely tell the difference and it was tough for me because all I wanted to do was just to look like average (with) brown hair, blonde hair. “I was a little bit shy, and I didn’t want to have all the attention. I wanted kind of just to be somewhere in the middle.” Now his life would be easier, Dawson said. “They were talking to me about coming back to Korea to represent the KTO, and I brought up, on the table, that if they could help me track this person down before I headed out here, it would just make my life little easier and all the emotions I would have to go through would be a little bit easier for me to deal with,” he said. “Not even sure … that I really am going to walk into the same room with this man tomorrow. I am kind of anticipating and looking forward to it.” After meeting with Kim and his family, Dawson will visit the Seoul headquarters of the Holt International Children’s Services, an adoption agency, Friday, where he plans to reveal his plan of establishing the Toby Dawson Foundation, an organization to help adoptees and orphans in South Korea. He will leave for the United States Sunday.

Beamed back up

Here’s a short public radio story on Korean intercountry adoptees who have returned to live aboard the mothership.

http://www.theworld.org/?q=node/8265

*hat tip to Rich*

Angelina tried to adopt me, but I was already taken.

I was thinking about turning my blog all black in a display of mourning, but honestly, I feel as though I have no energy left to fight when it comes to celeb adoptions. Madonna Louise sucked the life right out of me when she took the liberty of skirting the law in order to purchase — oops, I mean adopt — David.

Gadzooks.

Well, now that the Jolie-Pitt family is to be 1/3 Asian, I fully expect that next, instead of talking about having a rainbow family, Miss A will soon begin referring to herself as Asian American. Or Asian Earthling. Or something similarly befitting of the kind of person who admits to hand-selecting her kids by race.

I wonder what they’ll change his name to. Joe Chi Minh? Zarkon? Skittles?

I’m going to go rock back & forth in a corner.

The return of the grouchy editor face

I have returned. Meow.

The grouchy editor face doesn’t ever really go away. I just save it for a grouchy day. Today I have a special message for you that I’m going to call “The Grouchy Editor: Island Edition.”

Let’s break it down into two parts:

1.) Pop quiz time! Choose the best answer:

You’re flying from Oakland to Honolulu. When you land, you will be:

a.) in O’ahu
b.) on O’ahu
c.) heading to the nearest beachfront bar for cocktails and pupus

All right — you caught me. That was a trick question, because either b or c would be correct. Why not a?

Although I can’t cite any references or style guides off the top of my head that would back me up on this, it’s a generally agreed-upon fact that one is on an island, rather than in it. If one is in an island, wouldn’t that suggest that one is actually inside an island — as in stuck deep within a lava tube?

On the other hand, as with any state, one can be in Hawai’i. Just as one can be “in” a city, being “in” a state has to do with borders and map outlines. In other words, islands are land masses upon which we tread, while states and cities are territories with politically defined boundaries within which we are located.

Ah, but what about the Big Island? If Auntie June is visiting Hilo, is she on Hawai’i, or is she in it?

Easy. Both!

2.) Hawai’i, for better or for worse, is the 50th state of the United States of America.

When referring to the 48 contiguous states, in relation to Hawai’i, they are known as the mainland — not “the States.” Thus, to go from Hawai’i to the mainland is not going “stateside,” but simply going to the mainland.

That is all for today.