AdopTalk

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US Olympic medalist Dawson reunites with biological father

By BURT HERMAN, Associated Press Writer
February 28, 2007

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) -- Far from the mountain where he skied to Olympic
fame, Toby Dawson found his family.

More than two decades after he was lost in a South Korean market and
eventually adopted in the United States, Dawson was reunited with his father
Wednesday.

They embraced, and Dawson said a Korean phrase he had learned for the
meeting -- "I've been waiting a long time, father."

Hugging his son at a hotel, Kim Jae-su teared up.

"I am glad to meet my son and see that he has grown up so wonderfully," Kim
said. "I am thankful that he has come to look for me even after such a long
time."

The reunion, which included a brother, was made possible by the bronze
freestyle skiing medal Dawson won at the Turin Olympics last year. The
victory earned him wide attention in the country of his birth.

Following the Olympics, dozens of would-be parents came forward to claim
Dawson was their child, including Kim. But after years of dashed hopes, the
28-year-old Dawson put off an earlier planned trip to Korea and waited for
confirmation from genetic tests before traveling here this week.

Dawson was 3 when he was lost in a market by his mother in the southern port
city of Busan, Kim said. A truck driver at the time, Kim said it was too
late when he got home to start searching for his missing child, whose
original Korean name was Bong-seok. Over the next few days, he said he
scoured local orphanages but was unable to find his son.

"I went to many orphanage houses only to hear that they didn't have anyone
like him. They wouldn't let me come inside and look for him," the
53-year-old Kim said, adding he would search orphanages whenever he had time
but eventually gave up.

"I'm not here to beat him up for what happened," Dawson said, adding that he
had a fortunate life growing up with his adoptive parents, who were ski
instructors in Vail, Colo.

At the start of a news conference, Dawson gave his biological father a
Norwegian skiing sweater that he said signified his upbringing in the sport,
which Kim immediately put on.

Dawson said he plans to use a new foundation he is starting in his name to
help work to avoid cases like his in the future.

"Being caught in limbo between two different countries and not looking like
your family is going to be tough," he said. "We need to try to keep our
children and work a little bit harder to keep these circumstances from
happening."

Dawson noted how he shared his healthy sideburns with his father, who during
the news conference reached over several times to touch Dawson's face while
they also held hands.

"My life until now has been confused," Dawson said. "I looked at my parents
and I didn't look like them. Then I also felt if I went to Korea I didn't
belong there.

"I felt like I was still lost, stuck between two different worlds," he said.

Dawson said he hoped to eventually stage a reunion with all his parents. He
also mentioned again his desire to become a professional golfer within five
years, after retiring in September from professional skiing.

Kim declined to talk publicly about Dawson's biological mother.

Also at the reunion was Dawson's younger brother, 24-year-old Kim
Hyun-cheol, who was wearing an earring in his left ear similar to those
Dawson has in both ears. All three men wrapped their arms around each other
before heading to a family lunch.