The Documentary Podcast
The Documentary Podcast
BBC World Service
The mystery of the ‘tula boy’
18 minutes Posted Jul 19, 2025 at 12:30 pm.
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In 1953, a South Korean child was smuggled into Colombia in a duffle bag, or ‘tula’ in Spanish. He was adopted and re-named Carlos Arturo Gallón, but he had questions about his identity that remained unanswered for over half a century. José Carlos Cueto from BBC Mundo reports.

This episode of The Documentary comes to you from The Fifth Floor, the show at the heart of global storytelling, with BBC journalists from all around the world.

Presented by Faranak Amidi.

Produced by Alice Gioia, Caroline Ferguson and Hannah Dean.

This is an EcoAudio certified production.

(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)