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KAA 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: http://www.ikaa.org or sign up for the IKAA newsletter: info@ikaa.org (subject line: newsletter).