u/LowOrganization2315

Hello Washington,

I am the mother in a public story some people here may have heard before.

For years, Dr. Jay Sung, a Washington orthodontist and Richland father, has publicly described his son as having been “kidnapped to Korea” by his mother.

His story reached media, online communities, government agencies, and officials elected by Washington voters. He also publicly posted about help from Congressman Dan Newhouse and Congresswoman Kim Schrier, and made an award-winning film about my son.

But the version many people heard was not the whole story. Here is the part many people were not told.

I came to Korea with my child for a visit with Dr. Sung’s consent. When we were supposed to leave, my child could not depart because his Korean passport had been reported lost and a reissuance restriction was in place. Under Korean rules, my child could not leave Korea without a valid Korean passport.

After that, I was reported for child abduction. Emergency court orders were obtained in Washington, and a Hague Convention child-return case was filed in Korea.

That is how the public 'kidnapped to Korea' story began.

My child was not missing in the ordinary sense. My child is in Korea with me, and Dr. Sung knows which school my child attends. But my child’s face and name were used publicly as if he were simply a missing child.

My video explains the timeline and records, including:

• the consented trip to Korea
• the passport issue that blocked departure
• the abduction report and Hague case
• how Dr. Sung interfered with medical care for a medically fragile child
• almost seven years of unanswered contact attempts
• forced child-delivery efforts in Korea

I do not speak English well, so I made the video as clearly as I could. I do not make money from it.

The video is based on records that were also part of a defamation complaint Dr. Sung filed against me. Korean authorities declined to prosecute me. Afterward, some Korean media outlets that had reported mainly his side removed their articles.

To me, this issue is about what can happen to the most vulnerable person in the case — the child — when an international convention is used without the full context.

Please watch and consider whether the word “kidnapping” tells the whole story.

Here is the video explaining the untold side of the story: https://youtu.be/IUt0PYcBkNU

https://preview.redd.it/xdkq4wv2owah1.png?width=689&format=png&auto=webp&s=63ad22fa9f4027ca6ace8d6b235e49dd196ce06d

Hello everyone,

I wanted to share a Korean news article about a Hague child return case involving Dr. Jay Sung, and also about child-delivery enforcement in Korea.

I am the mother in this case.

Some people in this subreddit may already know Dr. Sung’s side of the story. He has posted several times about his son being “kidnapped to Korea,” and many people supported him based on that story.

His side of the story has also reached many places, including media, Washington State politicians, the Korean Ministry of Justice, and the U.S. State Department. He also appears to have received support from some U.S. politicians and government officials based on his side of the story. He also made a film about this case, Do You Remember Dad?, introduced himself publicly as a director, and received awards.

But there is another side of this story that many people have never heard.

This case has been discussed publicly for years, but mostly from one side.

My child is medically fragile and needs ongoing medical care. This case is about what can happen in a Hague child return case when domestic violence concerns, coercive control, a child’s medical condition, language barriers, immigration status, and the child’s bond with the primary caregiver are not fully understood.

This issue is also related to life in Korea because Dr. Sung’s public campaign around this case eventually contributed to changes in Korea’s child-delivery enforcement rules. As a mother, I am very worried that children can be treated too much like property to be taken and delivered, instead of human beings whose fear, health, safety, and wishes should be carefully considered.

After I shared my concerns in Korean communities, Dr. Sung filed a defamation complaint against me in Korea. Korea has very strict defamation laws, and even true statements can sometimes become a legal problem. But even under that strict system, Korean authorities declined to prosecute me. As I understand it, they did not simply treat my statements as false, and they also recognized the public-interest purpose of my posts, including the purpose of protecting child victims.

After that non-prosecution decision, some major Korean media outlets that had previously reported this case mainly from his side voluntarily removed their articles.

But many people outside Korea still only know the “kidnapped to Korea” version.

That is why I wanted to share this article here.

I also made a short video to explain the timeline and the part of the story that was left out from many public reports. The video is not monetized. I am not asking for money. I am sharing it only because I want people to understand why this case is more complicated than the public story many people heard.

My video:
https://youtu.be/IUt0PYcBkNU

If you have only heard the “kidnapped to Korea” version, I respectfully ask you to read the article and watch the video before judging.

My purpose is to share my side, protect my child’s privacy as much as possible, and raise awareness about how Hague child return cases can affect real children and families.

Thank you for reading.