On November 1, 2013, the 1980 Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction (Convention) will enter into force between the United States and the Republic of Korea.

Nov 03,2013 – United States and the Republic of Korea Become Hague Abduction Convention Partners

Office of the Spokesperson

Washington, DC

On November 1, 2013, the 1980 Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction (Convention) will enter into force between the United States and the Republic of Korea. The United States now has 72 partners under the Convention.

The Convention is the primary civil law mechanism for parents seeking the return of children who have been abducted from or wrongfully retained outside their country of habitual residence by another parent or family member. Parents seeking access to children residing in treaty partner countries may also invoke the Convention. The Convention is critically important because it establishes an internationally recognized legal framework to resolve parental abduction cases. The Convention does not address who should have custody of the child; rather it addresses where issues of child custody should be heard.

The Bureau of Consular Affairs, as the Central Authority for the United States under the Convention, welcomes our partnership with the Republic of Korea and looks forward to working together on this important issue.