South Koriea – “Although the abortion ban was struck down seven years ago, the state kept casting women as criminals…

May this acquittal become a starting point to resolve the legislative vacuum”

Aug 4, 2026
By Kim Jeong-hwa

On the 23rd of last month, when the mother, Ms. Kwon, was acquitted of murder in the appeal of the “36-week pregnancy termination” case, her attorney, Kim Myeong-seon, said she felt relief rather than joy. This was because, had a guilty verdict come down, “pregnancy termination would have retreated further into the shadows, and medical staff would also have been discouraged.” Attorney Kim said, “I hope this acquittal will serve as the minimum starting point to continue social discussion.”

In an interview on the 3rd, Attorney Kim and Na Young, head of the Center for Sexual Rights and Reproductive Justice SHARE (SHARE), spoke with one voice: “This case is by no means a matter of the mother alone.” They said Ms. Kwon’s case is symbolic, revealing a legislative vacuum now in its seventh year since the Constitutional Court’s 2019 decision of nonconformity regarding the abortion ban, and added, “The state must not brand women as criminals for having undergone pregnancy termination.”

Continued: https://www.khan.co.kr/en/article/202608042310017

04.08.2026

News

Association of Physicians for Humanitarian Practice

Center for Sexual Rights and Reproductive Justice

Kim Myeong-seon

Ministry of Health and Welfare

South Korea – Court Upholds Block on Abortion Pill Website Access

Ruling cites Pharmaceutical Affairs Act violation; lawsuit dismissed for lack of authority

By Kim Eun-gyeong
Aug 1, 2026

A court has ruled that blocking domestic access to the overseas website "Women on Web," which sells abortion pills by mail, is justified.

Seoul Administrative Court’s Administrative Division 4 (Presiding Judge Kim Young-min) recently dismissed a lawsuit filed by the Canadian nonprofit Women on Web International Foundation against the Korea Media and Communications Standards Commission (KMCSC) seeking to cancel the access-blocking order, the court announced on August 1. Dismissal occurs when a lawsuit fails to meet legal requirements and is concluded without review. The court stated, “Providing unapproved abortion medication violates the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act,” while deeming the lawsuit improper.

Continued: https://www.chosun.com/english/national-en/2026/08/01/OIP76EPVC5F3VAQ4EHYRFKJUC4/

01.08.2026

News

Kim Young-min

Korea Media and Communications Standards Commission

Pharmaceutical Affairs Act

Women on Web

Women on Web International Foundation

With the abortion pill unavailable, Korean women resort to cancer drug to end pregnancies

Despite a legal change, mifepristone remains inaccessible, leaving little option but to an immunosuppressant that takes weeks to work.

July 31, 2026

More than five years after the Constitutional Court of Korea ruled the country's abortion ban unconstitutional, legislation governing abortion remains stalled, leaving women who cannot legally obtain mifepristone, best known as the "abortion pill," to turn to less certain alternatives for terminating pregnancies.

One such alternative is methotrexate (MTX), an immunosuppressant typically used for cancer therapy.

“I learned about medical abortion while searching online communities, and received an MTX injection, but the pregnancy has not yet been completely terminated," said Choi, a woman in her 30s who received the MTX shot on July 14 to terminate her pregnancy at four weeks.

Continued: https://www.koreajoongangdaily.com/korea/with-the-abortion-pill-unavailable-korean-women-resort-to-cancer-drug-to-end-pregnancies/12777876

South Korea: Appeal decision for abortion case exposes legal vacuum

23 July 2026
Amnesty International

Responding to today’s appeal decision overturning the murder conviction of a woman who had a later abortion while reducing the sentences of medical staff, Amnesty International Korea’s Executive Director HeeKyoung Cho said:

“While we welcome the court’s decision to acquit the woman who sought abortion, the court’s decision to uphold the convictions of medical staff exposes structural loopholes in access to essential healthcare in South Korea.

“The National Assembly’s failure to amend the abortion law has left pregnant people without clear legal protections and access to essential reproductive healthcare. People’s ability to exercise their reproductive autonomy, control their reproductive lives and decide if, when and how to have children is essential to the full realization of human rights, dignity, and bodily integrity. Moreover, the ability to make decisions about one’s body, sexuality and reproduction is at the core of gender, economic and social justice.

Continued: https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2026/07/south-korea-appeal-decision-for-abortion-case-exposes-legal-vacuum/

23.07.2026

Commentary

Amnesty International

Amnesty International Korea

HeeKyoung Cho

Mother and Child Health Act

prosecuting women for abortion

South Korea – Despite Chilling Warnings, Women Still Seek Dangerous Off-Label Drugs for Abortion

Video transcript only, the video is not available outside Korea.

Park Ha-jeong
Tue Jul 21, 2026

Seven years have passed since the Constitutional Court ruled the abortion law unconstitutional, yet medication for pregnancy termination remains unapproved. While the government remains idle, citing a legislative vacuum, women are resorting to even receiving injections intended for chemotherapy to terminate pregnancies.

Reporter Park Ha-jeong investigates the reality.

At an obstetrics and gynecology clinic in Gyeonggi Province, when asked for a consultation on pregnancy termination, the staff suggests two methods.

Continued: https://news.sbs.co.kr/amp/news.amp?news_id=N1008666092

21.07.2026

Ministry of Food and Drug Safety

South Korea – ‘Abortion pills’ uncovered in more than 3,000 cases, yet only 7 referred for investigation··· cannot block them or punish, yet indiscriminately labeled ‘illegal’

2026.07.21
By Kim Chan-Ho

Over the past five years, the government uncovered more than 3,000 cases of online sales of abortion medications (abortifacients), but only seven of them were actually referred for investigation. Because there is no provision that penalizes the act of purchasing abortion pills in the first place, crackdowns have clear limits in their effectiveness. Critics say the government is labeling as ‘illegal’ drugs that it can neither effectively block nor has grounds to punish, which in turn makes it impossible to grasp the realities of purchase·use and leaves the health rights of women in a blind spot.

According to Kyunghyang Shinmun reporting compiled on the 20th, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety detected the following numbers of abortion medication sales cases: 414 in 2021, 643 in 2022, 491 in 2023, 741 in 2024, 682 in 2025, and 218 from January to May this year, for a total of 3,189.

Continued: https://www.khan.co.kr/en/article/202607210634047

21.07.2026

News

Association of Pharmacists for a Healthy Society

Kang Kyung-yeon

mifepristone

Ministry of Food and Drug Safety

Mother and Child Health Act

Shifting the Burden: Why South Korea’s OB-GYNs Reject ‘Discretion’ on Abortion Pills

Private-practice obstetricians demand clear clinical boundaries, emergency transfer protocols, and legal protections before the government approves Mifegyne.

Seungwook Choi
07/19/2026

The South Korean government's proposal to leave the prescription of abortion medication up to the professional discretion of individual physicians is facing fierce resistance. Private-practice obstetricians and gynecologists are pushing back strongly, labeling the move an attempt by the state to shift legal and medical responsibility onto front-line doctors.

On July 15, the Direct Election Korean Association of Private Practice Obstetricians and Gynecologists issued a statement declaring that before the medical abortion pill Mifegyne (mifepristone) is introduced, authorities must establish definitive guidelines on gestational age limits, follow-up care protocols, and the legal liability of clinicians. This followed a similar warning the previous day from the Korean Association of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

Continued: https://hi.kormedi.com/en-us/articles/2834872

19.07.2026

News

Korean Association of Obstetricians and Gynecologists

Korean Association of Private Practice Obstetricians and Gynecologists

Mifegyne

mifepristone

South Korea Ministry of Food and Drug Safety

South Korea – Abortion legislation returns to spotlight after 7-year limbo

President's remarks on abortion pill put long-stalled legislation back in focus

By Bahk Eun-ji
Jul 19, 2026

Seven years after the Constitutional Court struck down the abortion ban in Korea, the country’s stalled effort to establish a new legal framework has returned to the spotlight following President Lee Jae Myung’s call to review the introduction of the abortion pill mifepristone.

The issue stems from legislation left unresolved since the court ruled in 2019 that the criminal provision on abortion was incompatible with the Constitution and ordered lawmakers to revise it by the end of 2020.

Although the criminal provision lost its legal effect after the deadline passed, the National Assembly has yet to pass replacement legislation defining when and under what conditions abortions are permitted.

Continued: https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/amp/southkorea/politics/20260719/abortion-legislation-returns-to-spotlight-after-7-year-limbo

19.07.2026

Korean Association of Obstetricians and Gynecologists

Lee Jae Myung

Maternal and Child Health Act

mifepristone approval

South Korea Ministry of Food and Drug Safety

South Korea blocks oral abortion pill approval as 101 countries allow use

Gender Equality and Family Ministry cites 101 nations using mifepristone–misoprostol while Korea’s three approval bids since 2021 remain rejected

2026.07.19

It is known that oral abortion drugs are used in 101 countries around the world. Among the 38 member countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), 33 allow their use, with South Korea among the exceptions.

President Lee Jae-myung stated at a cabinet meeting on the 14th that, even before the relevant laws are revised, the government should examine ways to allow the use of abortion drugs based on medical professionals’ judgment. Afterward, Minister Won Min-kyung of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family announced that inter-ministerial discussions led by the Office for Government Policy Coordination are scheduled to begin in earnest, drawing heightened public attention to abortion medications.

Continued: https://www.dongascience.com/en/news/79005

19.07.2026

Hyundai Pharm

Korean Women’s Associations United

Lee Jae Myung

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development

Obstetricians oppose Lee’s abortion pill proposal, citing legal burden on doctors

Koh Jung Min
Published 2026.07.16

The nation's obstetrics and gynecology community has pushed back against President Lee Jae Myung's directive to explore the introduction of the abortion medication mifepristone (commonly known as Mifegyne or Mifeprex) in Korea.

The physicians argued that the government is attempting to shift legal and medical responsibility onto physicians.

Continued: https://www.koreabiomed.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=32459

16.07.2026