>> Hill: ON THIS THANKSGIVING

WEEKEND, WE HAVE A STORY FROM

MINNESOTA'S TWIN CITIES PBS

STATION ABOUT FINDING FAMILY.

THIS PAST SUMMER, KAOMI LEE

SHARED HER PERSONAL STORY.

LIKE MANY OF THE MORE THAN

200,000 ADOPTED KOREANS AROUND

THE WORLD, LEE WAS ADOPTED AS A

SMALL CHILD, BROUGHT TO A NEW

COUNTRY, AND RAISED BY PARENTS

OF A DIFFERENT RACE.

LEE STILL DOES NOT KNOW HER

BIRTH PARENTS, BUT A DECISION TO

SHARE HER RESULTS FROM A D.N.A.

TEST BROUGHT A SURPRISING

DISCOVERY.

>> WITH MOST OF THE STATE IN

DROUGHT CONDITIONS AND HALF THE

STATE IN SEVERE DROUGHT...

>> Reporter: AS ALMANAC'S

GREATER MINNESOTA REPORTER, I

USUALLY REPORT ON STORIES FROM

AROUND THE STATE.

THIS STORY IS A LITTLE

DIFFERENT.

THIS IS ACTUALLY WHEN I BECAME A

CITIZEN.

50 YEARS AGO, I WAS ADOPTED AS

AN INFANT FROM SOUTH KOREA AND

SENT TO A LUTHERAN PASTOR AND

HIS WIFE IN RURAL MINNESOTA.

I THOUGHT I LEFT KOREA WITH JUST

A NAME, A PRESUMED BIRTH DATE

AND THE CLOTHES ON MY BACK, WITH

NO HOPE OF FINDING FAMILY.

LITTLE DID I KNOW I ALSO HAD

SOMETHING VERY POWERFUL: MY

D.N.A.

AND I'’’M NOT ALONE.

>> WELL, BEN HAS SPOKEN TO HIS

HALF BROTHER, JEFF, BUT THEY'VE

NEVER MET FACE TO FACE UNTIL

NOW.

BEN, ARE YOU READY?

>> I'’’M READY.

>> JEFF, COME ON OUT.

( APPLAUSE )

>> Reporter: COMMERCIAL D.N.A.

TESTS HAVE BEEN CONNECTING

RELATIVES TO EACH OTHER FOR THE

PAST 15 YEARS.

FOR KOREAN ADOPTEES WHO OFTEN

CAN'T ACCESS RECORDS OR BIRTH

IDENTITIES, THE TESTS HAVE BEEN

A GAME CHANGER.

>> RIGHT NOW, WE HAVE OVER 12

MILLION CUSTOMERS, AND ABOUT 80%

OF THOSE CUSTOMERS HAVE FOUND A

THIRD COUSIN OR CLOSER.

I THINK A LOT OF THIS

INFORMATION IS REALLY INVALUABLE

FOR EVERYONE, BUT SPECIFICALLY

FOR ADOPTEES, YOU KNOW--

ESPECIALLY BECAUSE TYPICALLY

ADOPTEES DON'T HAVE FAMILY

HISTORY, WHETHER IT'S THEIR

ANCESTRY OR HEALTH.

AND ACTUALLY CERTAIN ANCESTRIES

CAN PUT YOU AT A HIGHER RISK OF

DEVELOPING CERTAIN DISEASES, AND

SO WE'VE HEARD FROM SO MANY

CUSTOMERS IT'S IMPACTED THEIR

LIVES TREMENDOUSLY.

>> Reporter: I TOOK 23andMe's

D.N.A. TEST FIVE YEARS AGO.

I SHARED THE RESULTS ON SOME

OTHER DATABASES, AND THEN THIS

SPRING I GOT A MESSAGE.

SOMEONE IN DENMARK THOUGHT THEY

WERE MY HALF SISTER OR NIECE,

AND LIKE ME SHE WAS ALSO A

KOREAN ADOPTEE.

>> YOU KNOW, I THINK, OH, YOU

JUST TAKE IT A DAY AT A TIME.

>> Reporter: WE DID MORE TESTS.

ALL SIGNS POINTED TO HALF

SISTERS.

BUT AFTER DENMARK OPENED TO

VISITORS, I DECIDED TO FLY AND

MEET LISA BECK.

BUT I WAS STILL NERVOUS.

HOW WOULD IT FEEL TO MEET A

PREVIOUSLY UNKNOWN BIOLOGICAL

SIBLING FOR THE FIRST TIME?

WOULD WE GET ALONG?

WOULD WE HAVE ANYTHING TO TALK

ABOUT?

WOULD MEETING HER HELP ME BETTER

UNDERSTAND MYSELF?

THEN, THE MOMENT HAPPENED.

>> I'M TEARING UP, OH!

( UNINTELLIGIBLE )

>> DID YOU WAIT A LONG TIME?

>> YES, AND I WAS GETTING

NERVOUS!

>> YEAH, YEAH, YEAH, YEAH, YEAH.

>> OH, HOW NICE TO SEE YOU!

>> SO NICE TO SEE YOU!

>> Reporter: WE GOT A CHANCE TO

SIT DOWN TOGETHER, FACE TO FACE.

I LEARNED THAT LISA DECIDED TO

DO A D.N.A. TEST ON A WHIM.

>> EARLY MORNING, I LAY IN MY

BED, AND I WAS VERY TIRED.

AND I JUST TOOK MY PHONE OUT AND

THEN, "OH, WHAT?

I HAVE A SISTER!"

I WAS SO CONFUSED AND EXCITED AT

THE SAME TIME, YEAH.

>> Reporter: WHAT WAS GOING

THROUGH YOUR MIND WHEN-- WHEN

YOU SAW ME?

>> I WAS AMAZED.

I WAS SURPRISED BECAUSE I CAN

SEE THE SIMILARITIES, BUT I

CAN'T PUT A FINGER ON IT, YOU

KNOW, EXACTLY WHAT IT IS.

BUT I CAN SEE WE LOOK ALIKE, YOU

KNOW-- NOSE, MOUTH, CHEEKS, AND

SO ON.

SO, I CAN SEE WE--

>> Reporter: I CAN SEE IT IN THE

EYES.

>> YEAH, YEAH, YEAH.

SO, I CAN SEE WE LOOK SIMILAR.

>> Reporter: LISA AND I DON'T

KNOW WHO OUR BIRTH PARENTS ARE.

FINDING EACH OTHER THROUGH

D.N.A. FEELS LIKE BEATING ALL

ODDS.

OUR STORY WAS EVEN FEATURED ON

NATIONAL DANISH TV.

( UNINTELLIGIBLE )

>> YEAH, YEAH, YEAH, YEAH, YEAH.

>> WE-- WE DID IT!

>> WE DID IT!

( LAUGHTER )

>> Reporter: WE ALSO MET WITH

KOREAN ADOPTEES IN DENMARK.

LIKE MINNESOTA, THERE ARE

THOUSANDS HERE.

>> NICE TO MEET YOU!

>> Reporter: LISA AND I HAD FUN

GETTING TO KNOW EACH OTHER

DURING THE SHORT VISIT, BUT

INSTEAD OF ANSWERING QUESTIONS,

MEETING LISA CREATED MORE.

NOW THAT I KNOW ABOUT YOU, IT

JUST MAKES ME START TO, YOU

KNOW, GO DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE

OF, WHO WAS-- WHO WAS OUR

FATHER?

WHAT-- IS HE STILL ALIVE?

DO WE HAVE OTHER SIBLINGS OUT

THERE?

I'M ALSO VERY AWARE THAT MANY

ADOPTEES DO NOT GET THIS

OPPORTUNITY, AND THAT HELPS ME

TO KNOW HOW SPECIAL IT IS THAT

WE-- WE DID FIND EACH OTHER.