Jang’s Story
Jang Koon Kim was born in 1978 in Seoul, South Korea. After being adopted to Salt Lake City, Utah at the age of two, Jang’s adoptive parents gave him the name Benjamin Pack. His adoptive parents had three biological children and another adopted Korean child. Both Jang and his adoptive sibling were sealed to his adoptive parents, which in the Latter Day Saints (LDS) tradition means that they are family now and also for eternity.
When Jang was six years old, his adoptive mother began abusing him physically, mentally, and emotionally. Locking him up, she would tell him he was unwanted by his biological parents and should be grateful he was adopted. This abuse went unknown by those outside of the family for many years. At the age of ten, Jang started running away from home and eventually left his adoptive parents permanently.
When he was sixteen, Jang decided to join the workforce and get his driver’s license. To prove his ability to work and drive in the U.S., Jang reached out to his adoptive parents to get records of his adoption, but they claimed they had none. Without any parental help or support, Jang—still a teenager at the time—had to navigate the U.S. immigration system alone.
Agents with the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) seemed confused about Jang’s situation and repeatedly gave him incorrect or incomplete information. They couldn’t understand how he was allowed into the U.S. in the first place if he truly had no paperwork, and ultimately recommended that he contact the Korean government for the required documentation.
Jang contacted the Korean government, who eventually sent him documents proving his adoption. With this, Jang was able to apply for a I-90 green card, and get a driver’s license and social security card. Now, Jang could legally work and apply for naturalization. Due to high costs and with no guarantee he would obtain citizenship, however, nineteen-year-old Jang decided not to pursue naturalization.
Over the years, Jang has undertaken various freelancing jobs fixing electronics, doing photography and digital media, becoming a barista, and eventually a master carpenter. Because some employers have refused to accept his green card, Jang has missed out on a number of dream jobs for which he was well-qualified.
To help Jang and other adoptees without citizenship, help pass the Adoptee Citizenship Act!
To help Jang and other adoptees without citizenship, help pass the Adoptee Citizenship Act!