Sep 03, 2025

SEOUL - South Korea’s Constitutional Court declared the criminalisation of pregnancy termination unconstitutional in 2019, but the country remains mired in legal and medical limbo, leaving women to deal with uncertainty, stigma and unsafe alternatives.

Without follow-up legislation to regulate and guarantee safe access, women seeking abortions are forced into what advocates call a “blind spot”.

Hospitals often refuse to perform procedures without clear legal guidelines. Women are then left to scour online forums or underground markets to buy smuggled drugs at exorbitant prices, raising risks of counterfeit pills and severe health complications.

Continued: https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/east-asia/debate-reignites-in-south-korea-over-legalisation-of-abortion-pills