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.