U.S. father's long-awaited reunion with children spotlights Korea's parental abduction problem

Social Affairs

Published: 02 May. 2024, 16:18 Updated: 02 May. 2024, 20:15

U.S. father's long-awaited reunion with children spotlights Korea's parental abduction problem

John Sichi stages a treadmill protest in front of Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency on April 19 2023, requesting Korean court officials to carry out an enforcement order that his children should be returned to the United States. [JOONGANG ILBO]

After a yearslong journey to retrieve his children, an American father, John Sichi, who made headlines for his treadmill protest in Seoul, was finally reunited with his children in the United States.

The four-year, five-month struggle all began when his Korean wife left with their son and daughter for Korea in November 2019, never to return to the United States.

The reunion took place as the Suwon District Court officials — accompanied by child psychiatrists and bodyguards — successfully executed an enforcement order on April 15, fetching their son and daughter from an apartment in Gyeonggi where the children had been living with their mother.

The 54-year-old software engineer from San Francisco had two children with his Korean wife, whom he married in 2013. They were a happy family, he said, until the couple faced marital problems, and his wife said she wanted to spend some time with her family. Sichi agreed, and his wife and the children left for Korea.

However, they did not return. His wife's constant refusal to return the children to San Francisco prompted Sichi to take the matter to the courts in March 2020. After a prolonged trial at San Francisco Superior Court, he won legal custody of the children in August 2020.

Nonetheless, his wife disregarded the court’s order to return the children. Sichi then caught a flight to Korea, and in November 2020, he filed a case to Seoul Family Court, accusing his spouse of international child abduction under the Hague Convention. The multinational treaty aims to protect children from the harmful effects of international child abductions by encouraging the prompt return of children under the age of 16 to their country of habitual residence.

Half a year later, Seoul Family Court ordered the immediate return of the children. The appellate court and the Supreme Court also ruled in his favor, dismissing the wife's appeals. Sichi believed he could finally reunite with his children.

However, things did not go his way. His wife did not surrender the children and, to make matters worse, went missing.

John Sichi heads to board a plane at Incheon International Airport with his children on April 18, after Suwon District Court officials successfully executed an enforcement order on April 15 as shown in a photo provided by attorney Min Ji-won. [JOONGANG ILBO]

After a rough couple of months, in May 2022, Suwon District Court officials, accompanied by Sichi, went to his wife's apartment to execute the court order. However, they failed to retrieve the children due to the mother's resistance. The children also refused to be separated from their mother, aggravating the situation. The courts made several more attempts afterward, but all were unsuccessful.

Feeling frustrated and hopeless, Sichi organized "treadmill protests,” walking on a portable treadmill for hours in various spots in Seoul, including near Yeongdeungpo Station and Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency. His story touched many people's hearts and caught the media's attention.

His efforts finally came to light when the Ministry of Justice and the Supreme Court decided in January to amend an enforcement rule to ensure that in child abduction cases under the Hague Convention, a child will be returned to the custodial parent regardless of the child's opinion, with a child expert accompanying the scene.

Thanks to the revised rule, Sichi could finally hold his children in his arms. On April 18, Sichi and his children immediately flew back to the United States.

Now settled in San Francisco, Sichi and his children are rebuilding their lives.

While the American father expressed his gratitude to the Korean courts and Justice Ministry for helping him live as a happy single dad, he also highlighted fathers who long to be reunited with their children.

John Sichi hangs out with his children at their house in San Francisco last month after he retrieved his children from his wife, as shown in a photo provided by attorney Min Ji-won. [JOONGANG ILBO]

Min Ji-won, an attorney at Seoul-based IPG Legal, Sichi's legal representative, accompanied Sichi to San Francisco.

"Upon the family's arrival, the Federal Bureau of Investigation greeted the family at the airport and safely transported them home. This demonstrates how much the nation cares for its citizens,” Min said.

While Min praised the United States for taking excellent care of its citizens, she expressed concern about Korea's poor execution of return orders in abduction cases.

“For three years in a row, the U.S. Department of State has listed South Korea as one of the countries considered non-compliant with the Hague Convention. If law enforcement is not carried out accordingly, the issue could escalate into a diplomatic dispute,” Min said.

The U.S. Department of State on April 29 included South Korea on a list of countries deemed non-compliant with the Hague Convention, along with 15 other countries, including Argentina, Brazil, Bulgaria and Egypt.

Ten child abduction cases took place in Korea last year.

BY SON SUNG-BAE,WOO JI-WON [woo.jiwon@joongang.co.kr]