DIRECTOR JO Seyoung

Mioka Miller, with K-Number 723915, has visited Korea multiple times since 2008 in search of her family, but each attempt has ended in failure. She was found on the streets in 1974 and later adopted by an American family. But she wasn’t an orphan, nor was she abandoned—so why was she sent to the United States? The film K-Number is titled after the identification numbers assigned to children sent for adoption. It follows Mioka’s search for her birth mother with the help of ‘Banet’, a group that aids overseas Korean adoptees find their roots. The documentary takes viewers through various institutions, from Holt Children’s Services to record offices and community centers, as experts provide testimony and countless documents are examined, uncovering the harsh realities behind terms like “home shopping babies,” “state-sponsored human trafficking,” and “sweeping away disadvantaged children.” The long process of facing the truth is presented at a brisk and determined pace. Director Jo Seyoung’s camera is relentless in its pursuit of the truth, while remaining by the side of other Miokas who are still seeking answers in Korean society. (Busan International Film Festival)