親養子制度에 關한 硏究

Abstract

養子는 養親과는 血緣的 親子關係가 없음에도 養親의 親子와 같이 실생활을 같이 하는 子를 말하며, 現代의 養子制度는 養子의 안정된 생활을 보장하기 위하여 '子를 위한 養子制度'를 추구하고 있다. 우리의 養子制度는 朝鮮時代 이후부터 父系血統을 고집하게 되어 오로지 家를 계승하기 위한 同姓同本의 養子만을 인정하였었으나 閉鎖的인 養子制度로 인해 虛僞의 親生子申告가 성행하게 되었고, 國內入養은 저조할 수밖에 없었다. 1990년의 民法改正으로 同姓同本養子는 폐지되고 異姓養子가 허용되었으나, 養親의 姓과 本을 따를 수 없어 異姓養子의 규정이 무의미하게 되었다. 1995년에는 國內入養을 촉진하기 위해 養子가 養親의 姓과 本을 따를 수 있는 '入養特例法'을 制定하였으나, 養子라는 사실이 戶籍에 공시되어 국내입양을 촉진하는데 실패하게 되었다. 그리고 繼父와 子의 姓이 달라 社會的인 問題로 대두되고 있는 再婚家庭의 경우에는 기존의 養子制度로 해결하는데 어려움이 생기게 되었다. 이러한 국내현실에 대처하기 위해 親養子制度의 도입이 논의되기 시작하였고, 政府는 民法改正案에 親養子制度를 신설하여 1998년에 이어 2000년에도 國會에 立法豫告 하였다. 親養子制度는 親生父母와의 關係를 단절하고 養親의 姓과 本을 따르며 養親의 親子로 養家에서 成長하는 制度이다. 現改正案은 5년 이상의 혼인지속 기간을 유지하는 夫婦가 共同으로 親養子를 入養하기 위해 家庭法院에 請求하도록 규정하고 있다. 또한 親養子의 연령은 7세 미만으로 규정하고 있으며, 법원의 許可로 親養子가 入養되면 부부의 婚姻中의 出生子로 擬制되게 된다. 親養子의 罷養은 家庭法院의 審判에 의하여야 하며, 罷養으로 인해 親養子入養 前의 親族關係가 부활하게 된다. 그리?? 例外規定을 두어 再婚家庭의 경우에도 配偶者 一方의 子에 대하여 親養子入養이 가능하도록 하고 있다. 親養子制度의 導入과 관련하여 우리의 傳統思想과 대치된다는 이유로 그 導入을 반대하는 見解도 만만치 않으나, 우리의 입양현실은 海外入養 세계1위라는 불명예를 받을 만큼 아직도 많은 아이들이 海外로 入養되고 있으며 그럼에도 불구하고 要保護兒童의 수는 줄어들지 않고 있다. 또한 늘어나는 再婚家庭의 子女問題는 현재는 미비하다고 할지라도, 추후 큰 社會問題로 대두될 소지가 충분하기 때문에 이에 대한 國家의 對策이 필요하다고 할 수 있다. 현재 政府에 의해 立法豫告 된 親養子制度는 現代의 子의 福利를 추구하는 完全養子制度의 모습을 하고 있다. 公開入養을 꺼리는 국내입양현실을 고려한다면, 父母의 福利가 아닌 子의 福利를 추구하기 위해서 親養子制度의 導入은 조속히 이루어져야 할 것이다.|Child adoption in Korea has its own tradition in which the maintenance of patrilineal family line has been considered as one of the most important duties of all families in both moral and legal senses. Ever since the period of the Chosun dynasty, the adoption of the children with the same family names and origins as those of the adopting fathers has been considered as being legal. The system, however, revealed a lot of problems. Adopting fathers who were unable to find proper and legal candidates has frequently resorted to expediencies adopting children with different surnames in secrecy and reporting as if they were their real children. In 1990, with the amendment of civil laws, the past system of adopting children with only the same family names and origins was repealed, and the adoption of the children with the same family names came to be accepted as being legal. But the new system of adopting children with different surnames has not been adequately practiced as it is conflicting with the old-dated patrilineal family succession system and the so-called 'the immutable principle of permanent family name.' The full adoption system which is currently under discussion in Korea is totally different with that of the past years in the sense that it allows families to adopt children with different surnames as if they were real children giving them family names of the adopting parents. This study reviews some cases in other countries where the full adoption system has been under operation and compares them with the current states of the situation in Korea. From this comparison, the study tries to demonstrate the strong necessity of enacting laws allowing full adoption in Korea. In Korea, with a view to promote domestic adoption, legislators enacted 'Special Law on Child Adoption,' which allows the adopted children to take their adopting parents' surnames. But the law also has still been regarded as problematic. For instance, the adoption should be made known to the public with the registration to the family census registers against the hope of the adopting parents. Also, in cases of remarried families in which step-fathers' surnames are different with those of children, there is no way to get them to use single family names. The problems as such has led legislators to put the full adoption system into the revised bill of the civil law. In the meantime, oppositions to the amendment are also getting stronger. They are opposed to the bill because the new system, they say, goes against the tradition. Advocates of the new system, however, point out that, if the traditional system of child adoption persists regardless of the global trend, overseas adoption of Korean children under protection will never decrease. With the existing laws, it is hard to promote domestic adoption in Korea. Problems in cases of remarried families, in particular, will last. If the problems of the remarried families are kept going with the alleged reasons that the area of marriage and that of children are different and the couples are quite likely to get divorced again, the expediencies of reporting will not be rooted out in Korea. Full adoption system if taken will certainly influence with huge impact on Korean society as well as on Korean family system. However, it still needs to enact the laws for the well-being of the adoptees and for the promotion of domestic adoption.