For Immediate Release
April 27, 2007
IKAA GATHERING 2007
The Global Korean Adoptee Community Heads to Seoul
SEOUL, Korea - The International Korean Adoptee Associations (IKAA) Network will host the IKAA Gathering, the only international conference of its kind, scheduled to take place from July 31 to August 5, 2007 in Seoul, Korea. The opening ceremonies for the IKAA Gathering 2007 will be held on August 1, 2007 at the Seoul Race Park and are expected to draw the attention of Korean government officials and attendance by representatives from our sponsors.
Building upon the foundations laid by earlier Gatherings in Washington D.C. (1999) and Oslo, Norway (2001), the most successful Gathering to date took place in Seoul, Korea in 2004. This Gathering brought over 400 Korean adult adoptees to Seoul and paved the way for a future Gathering, one of a different nature, one that would transcend differences within the international Korean adoptee community and foster the collaborative efforts of the ten well-established IKAA member associations, the IKAA Gathering 2007.
With over 400 attendees from 15 different countries already registered, the IKAA Gathering 2007 is expected to garner an attendance twice that of 2004. The Gathering 2007 will be larger in scale and will present participants with a program that includes the Adoptee World Cup at the Seoul Race Park, the ArtGathering at Kyunghee University, the Research Symposium and Workshops at Dongguk University, a Fashion Show, social activities and other events encompassing both traditional and contemporary Korean cultural elements.
IKAA associations will each be fully responsible for a part of the program, with smaller groups and individuals also presenting sessions, contributing to the diversity of the program and reflecting the broad and varied perspectives and experiences of the Korean adoptee community.
Sponsors for the IKAA Gathering 2007 include, the Overseas Koreans Foundation, the Korea Racing Association, Samsung, the Korea Culture Network, the Cheontae Buddhist Order, the Ministry of Health and Welfare, Sofitel Ambassador Hotel, Kongju National University, Kyunghee University, and Dongguk University.
Formally established in 2004, IKAA is the largest existing network of international Korean adoptees, reaching out to thousands worldwide. All IKAA associations are well established within their respective communities, organizing regular events and activities, and have an organizational structure and membership comprised almost entirely of adult adoptees.
The IKAA Network was created to better serve the international Korean adoptee community, to promote the exchange of ideas and information, and build bridges between Korea, Korean adoptees, and adoptive countries.
In conjunction with the Gathering 2007, the IKAA webportal will launch its own online community to provide a space for adoptees to continue communication and the sharing of information.
For further information please check out: www.ikaa.org or sign up for the IKAA newsletter: info@ikaa.org (subject line: newsletter).
SAVE THE DATE: July 31st -August 5th, 2007
Read previous press releases click here
Read more about the Gatherings:
1st Gathering, Washington D.C. 1999
2nd International Gathering, Oslo 2001
Korean Adoptee Gathering 2004, Seoul 2004
