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

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

News

Korean College of Obstetrics and Gynecology

Lee Jae Myung

Maternal and Child Health Act

Ministry of Food and Drug Safety

SOUTH KOREA – Debate reignites in South Korea over legalisation of abortion pills

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

03.09.2025

Maternal and Child Health Act

National Human Rights Commission of Korea

South Korea Constitutional Court

Debate escalates as Korea’s ruling party proposes abortion medication legalization

Internal tension rises as discussions on abortion drug reform gain momentum in Korea

By Heo Ji-yoon
Aug 6, 2025

The legalization of abortion pills has emerged as a contentious issue once again. It has been six years since the Constitutional Court declared the abortion law unconstitutional, but the legal vacuum has resulted in problems with the illegal distribution of abortion pills. As the ruling party moves forward with the legislation of related bills, public opinions from the medical community, civic and religious organizations are sharply divided.

On the 6th, the Health and Welfare Committee of the National Assembly held a debate under the theme 'Six years after the Constitutional Court's unconstitutional ruling on the abortion law, should we leave it as it is?' In the previous month, lawmakers Nam In-soon and Lee Soo-jin from the Democratic Party of Korea each proposed amendments to the Maternal and Child Health Act to legalize abortion pills.

Continued: https://biz.chosun.com/en/en-science/2025/08/06/EGV6KECRZFH63L26RT6UVFXYOA/

5 years on, abortion pill Mifegymiso still stalled in Korea’s regulatory limbo

Yun-mi
2025.07.30

Five years have passed since the Constitutional Court ruled that the abortion law was unconstitutional, but abortion by medication remains in a legal gray area. Nothing shows this better than the failure to introduce the abortion pill Mifegymiso (mifepristone and misoprostol) into Korea due to legislative gaps.

“We need a legal basis to begin the approval process for Mifegymiso tablets. Currently, we cannot proceed with its substantive review due to a lack of such a basis,” an official at the Drug Approval Division of the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) told journalists on Wednesday.

Continued: https://www.koreabiomed.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=28411

30.07.2025