>> A BUSY AIRPORT, A NOISY CONCOURSE, AND A COUPLE WAITS TO BRING A SON THEY'VE NEVER MET HOME TO A HOUSE HE'S NEVER SEEN.

IN THE NEXT 30 MINUTES, THE LIVES OF JACK AND BARB KELLY AND THEIR FIVE CHILDREN WILL HAVE CHANGED DRAMATICALLY.

BUT FOR AN 11-YEAR-OLD KOREAN BOY, LIFE WILL HAVE BEEN TURNED ABSOLUTELY UPSIDE DOWN.

THE KELLYS LIVE IN SUBURBAN MINNEAPOLIS.

JACK IS A STOCKBROKER.

BARB IS A HOMEMAKER.

AND THEY HAVE FIVE CHILDREN.

JIM, 20, MARY KAY, 17, JANE, 14, PAUL, 15, AND AN OLDER SON, STEVEN, AWAY AT COLLEGE.

WHEN THEIR YOUNGEST SON ARRIVES, HE WILL BE CALLED DANNY.

>> THE FATHER DIED WHEN DANNY WAS A BABY.

THE MOTHER TRIED TO RAISE HIM.

AND SUPPORT HIM.

AND REMARRIED, I THINK, LIKE THREE OR FOUR YEARS AGO.

AND IT JUST DID NOT WORK OUT.

THE STEPFATHER DIDN'T ACCEPT HIM.

>> WE BOTH HAVE WORKED HARD TO GET WHAT WE HAVE IN A MATERIAL WAY AND SO ON, AND OUR KIDS HAVE BEEN HEALTHY, WE'VE BEEN JUST LUCKY IN SO MANY DIFFERENT WAYS.

AND WE JUST WANT TO GIVE A LITTLE BIT BACK, AND THIS IS OUR WAY OF DOING IT.

>> BUT ALONG WITH THE KELLY'S POSITIVE FEELINGS ABOUT THE ADOPTION, THERE WERE ALSO SOME FEARS.

>> I THINK THE ONLY ONE RIGHT OFF THE BAT THAT SAID, THEY DIDN'T WANT TO DO IT WAS PAUL.

>> IT'S JUST, YOU KNOW, MAYBE A DIFFERENT -- DIFFERENT RACE OR, YOU KNOW, KOREAN OR EVEN MY FRIENDS WOULD MAKE FUN OF HIM, THINGS LIKE THAT MIGHT HAPPEN.

>> DID YOU FEEL THEY WERE GOING TO MAKE FUN OF DANNY OR DID YOU FEEL SOMEBODY MIGHT MAKE FUN OF YOU?

>> BOTH, YOU KNOW.

LIKE, YOU'RE ADOPTING A KOREAN, YOU KNOW, IT'S JUST -- AND THEN THEY'D BE MAKING FUN OF HIM, YOU KNOW, CHINK, YOU KNOW, THINGS LIKE THAT.

>> WELL, I'M EXCITED AND ANXIOUS, BUT I'M SCARED, TOO.

>> WHAT ARE YOU SCARED OF?

>> I'M SCARED OF JUST -- JUST OF THE FACT THAT HE'S COMING AND WHAT IT'S GOING TO BE LIKE AND WILL I DO A GOOD JOB.

>> IN THE NEXT FEW MOMENTS, THE KELLYS' LIVES WILL CHANGE FOREVER.

BUT THINK OF IT FROM THE CHILD'S POINT OF VIEW.

11-YEAR-OLD WILL WALK DOWN A SHORT GANGWAY AND BECOME 11-YEAR-OLD DANNY KELLY.

IN A TRANSFER PROCESS TAKING PERHAPS 30 SECONDS, HIS ENTIRE LIFE WILL CHANGE BEFORE HIS EYES.

IT IS AN EXCITING AND CONFUSING AND SCARY MOMENT.

[INDISTINCT CONVERSATION] >> DANNY, HI, OH, I LOVE YOU.

>> HOW ARE YOU?

>> THANK YOU.

>> THE PRIEST IN WHOSE HOME IN KOREA DANNY HAS LIVED SINCE MARCH IS FATHER BEN.

HE ACCOMPANIED DANNY ON THE FLIGHT TO MINNESOTA.

>> AND DURING THE TRIP WHAT WAS HE TALKING ABOUT?

>> WE WERE GOING OVER, YOU KNOW, HIS DADDY, MOMMY, HIS NAMES -- THE NAMES OF HIS BROTHERS AND SISTERS, HE WOULD MISS THE ONE.

BUT MAKING SURE THAT HE WAS PREPARED.

AND THEN WHAT DO I TELL MY DAD WHEN I FIRST MEET HIM?

YOU KNOW?

AND I LOOKED AT HIM, JUST TELL HIM THAT I'M HAPPY TO BE HERE, I LOVE YOU, GLAD TO MEET YOU, YOU KNOW, ANYTHING.

AND I THINK HE DID VERY WELL.

I THINK HE DID.

>> MARY KAY.

>> HI.

>> MARY KAY.

>> JIMMY, WOULD YOU SAY HELLO?

>> THIS IS JIMMY.

JIMMY.

>> PAUL.

>> THE PEOPLE ARE NEW.

THE RELATIONSHIPS UNCERTAIN, AND THE LANGUAGE UNKNOWN.

LITTLE WONDER, THEN, THAT DANNY KELLY LOOKED SO SCARED IN A VERY SHORT TIME, HE IS GOING TO HAVE TO COME A VERY LONG WAY.

[SPEAKING WORLD LANGUAGE] >> FROM HERE IN THE HEART OF SOUTH KOREA, IT'S EASIER TO UNDERSTAND THE FEAR THAT YOU SEE IN THE EYES OF DANNY KELLY AND CHILDREN LIKE HIM.

EVERY ONE OF THEM BRING WITH THEM THE IMPRINT OF A CULTURE WHICH IS BOTH LITERALLY AND FIGURATIVELY WORLDS APART FROM ANYTHING THEY'RE LIKELY TO SEE IN THE UNITED STATES.

THE LIFE OF A CHILD IN KOREA IS A GOOD LIFE.

DISCIPLINE IS USUALLY STRICTER THAN IN THE U.S., BUT FAMILIES ARE GENERALLY CLOSE AND CARING.

FOR A THOUSAND YEARS A PREMIUM HAS BEEN PLACED ON THE BOND BETWEEN BLOOD RELATIVES.

BUT IT'S JUST THAT FACET OF KOREAN SOCIETY, THE STRICT LOYALTY TO BLOOD RELATIVES, THAT MAKES LIFE FOR ORPHANS HERE SO UNCERTAIN.

>> ORPHANAGE, IT'S A WORD AND AN INSTITUTION WHICH HAVE ALL BUT DISAPPEARED IN THE U.S.

BUT HERE IN KOREA, ORPHANAGES LIKE THIS ONE STILL FLOURISH.

THIS IS THE BABY'S HOME IN SOUTH KOREA, 30 MILES SOUTH OF SEOUL.

WHEN WE VISITED LATE LAST APRIL, THERE WERE 61 CHILDREN, AGES 1 TO 6, AWAITING PLACEMENT.

MOST WOULD GO TO HOMES IN THE UNITED STATES AND EUROPE.

MANY OF THESE CHILDREN WERE BORN OUT OF WEDLOCK, IN A SOCIETY WHICH PLACES A PREMIUM ON THE BLOOD LINE OF THE FATHER AND IT IS USUALLY NEXT TO IMPOSSIBLE FOR THE MOTHER TO KEEP THE CHILD.

ADOPTION REMAINS A FOREIGN CONCEPT TO MOST KOREAN FAMILIES, SO THE PEOPLE OF THE CITY SEND THEIR CHILDREN HERE TO WAIT.

SHE AND HER HUSBAND LOST BOTH OF THEIR CHILDREN TO CHICKEN POX DURING THE KOREAN WAR.

FOR 30 YEARS, THEY HAVE RUN THE BABY'S HOME.

>> IS THIS A HAPPY PLACE FOR KIDS, DOES SHE THINK?

[SPEAKING WORLD LANGUAGE] >> SHE TRIES HER BEST TO MAKE THIS A HAPPY PLACE FOR CHILDREN.

[SINGING] >> BUT HERE THEY CAN'T REALLY GET ALL THE LOVE THAT THEY NEED.

WITH THIS MUCH LOVE FROM PARENTS, GRANDPARENTS, SISTERS AND BROTHERS.

SO SHE THINKS THAT IT'S BEST FOR THE CHILDREN TO BE PLACED WITH A FAMILY AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

>> THOUGH OR -- ORPHANAGE LIFE IN KOREA ARE OFTEN HARD ON A CHILDREN, THE LIVES OF THE CHILDREN HERE APPEAR HAPPY AND NORMAL.

HEALTH CARE IS MAINTAINED THROUGH THE PRESENCE OF A FULL-TIME NURSE AND BY REGULAR VISITS FROM A DOCTOR FROM THE CITY.

KOREA SAY LARGELY CHRISTIAN NATION, SO MEALS HERE ARE PRECEDED BY AN ORDERLY, IF NOT SOMBER PRAYER.

TWO LITTLE THINGS YOU CAN BEGIN TO SEE THAT THESE CHILDREN ARE BEING READIED FOR A LIFE VERY DIFFERENT FROM THE ONE HERE.

FOR THE FOOD IS KOREAN, THE UTENSILS ARE WESTERN AND IN ANOTHER SMALL WAY, THE CARETAKERS PREPARE THE CHILDREN FOR THE SHOCK THAT AWAITS MANY OF THEM.

A SHOCK THAT BEGINS AS SOON AS A CHILD HAS BEEN MATCHED WITH A WAITING FAMILY IN THE UNITED STATES.

[SPEAKING WORLD LANGUAGE] >> SHE PREPARES THE CHILDREN, THEY PREPARE THE CHILDREN WITH THE LETTERS AND PICTURES THAT THEIR ADOPTED FAMILIES SEND THE CHILD, THE NAMES OF THE FAMILY, THE SISTERS AND BROTHERS, WHERE THEY'RE GOING TO SLEEP, THE ADOPTED FAMILIES USUALLY SEND PICTURES.

AND THEY TEACH THEM THEN HOW TO GREET AND TO BEHAVE, ALL THAT.

SHE THINKS THEY'RE FAIRLY WELL PREPARED.

>> FOR THIS LITTLE GIRL, THERE IS BUT ONE WEEK LEFT WITH HER FRIENDS AT THE ORPHANAGE.

NEXT WEEK, SHE GOES TO TAKE UP HER NEW LIFE ON A FARM IN MICHIGAN.

>> HOW MUCH THEY WANTED A GIRL.

AND THAT THEY'RE VERY HAPPY THAT THIS GIRL HAS BEEN FOUND FOR THEM.

AND JUST EXCITED.

THEY NAMED HER ALLISON.

AND HERE'S A PICTURE OF THE PLANE SO SHE WOULD KNOW WHICH AIRPLANE SHE'S GOING TO ARRIVE IN WHEN SHE GOES -- LEAVES FOR HER FAMILY.

SO SHE WON'T BE AFRAID.

>> MOST KOREAN CHILDREN THINK THAT AMERICA IS JUST ONE STEP ABOVE HEAVEN, YOU KNOW.

IT REALLY A GREAT PLACE TO GO TO.

AND EVEN THE NAME IS BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY.

AND IT'S -- MOST KIDS SOMETIME IN THEIR LIFE WANT TO GO TO AMERICA ANYWAY.

[SPEAKING WORLD LANGUAGE] >> SHE WROTE ABOUT A LITTLE OLDER CHILDREN, WHO WILL BE EXPOSED TO DIFFERENT PEOPLE, DIFFERENT CUSTOMS, DIFFERENT LIFESTYLES, DIFFERENT FOODS, THE DIFFICULTIES THAT THEY HAVE UNTIL THEY ADJUST TO THE LIFE OVER THERE.

SHE WORRIES ABOUT THE TRANSITION PERIOD.