Abortion reemerges as hot-button issue as ruling party eyes dormant bill

Members of women's advocacy groups and medical professionals hold a protest in Seoul, April 10, 2020, to demand women's right to safely terminate unwanted pregnancies. Newsis

Debate over the legalization of the abortion pill has come under renewed scrutiny in Korea, as lawmakers move to address the legal gray zone surrounding women's health that has persisted since the country’s Constitutional Court struck down the abortion ban six years ago.

On Wednesday, the National Assembly’s Health and Welfare Committee convened a major forum on the issue. Participants included lawmakers from the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, with Rep. Nam In-soon, who recently proposed bills aimed at removing restrictions on both surgical and medical abortions and extending national health insurance coverage to these procedures.

“Women face significant difficulties in the absence of clear and official information and safe access to medication, despite abortion's decriminalization in 2019,” Nam said. She emphasized that the intent behind the proposed amendments is to ensure women’s safety and remove legal obstacles to proper medical care.

Rep. Park Ju-min, chair of the committee, added, “In the absence of clear legal protections, women are often compelled to make unsafe choices, while medical professionals face significant legal risks.”

Supporters of the reforms — including women’s advocacy groups and medical professionals — highlighted extensive global research demonstrating the safety and effectiveness of medical abortions.

Lawmakers from the National Assembly’s Health and Welfare Committee and medical professionals hold a forum on issues surrounding the six-year-long legal vacuum following the abolition of an abortion ban at the Assembly in Seoul, Wednesday. Newsis

Meanwhile, opponents, including some religious and civic groups, caution that removing all restrictions and legalizing abortion pills could undermine the sanctity of life and lead to what they describe as “reckless” abortion practices.

Choi Anna, director of Gangneung Medical Center, warned, “This bill misleads the public into thinking that using abortion pills is somehow safer than surgery.”

The Korean Medical Association submitted concerns to the Assembly, warning that “abortion medications can cause severe side effects” and arguing that the proposed bill lacks a comprehensive framework for ensuring safe and equitable access to abortion.

In 2019, Korea’s Constitutional Court made a landmark ruling that criminalizing abortion violates women’s constitutional rights and imposes a disproportionate burden on women, forcing them to continue unwanted pregnancies and jeopardizing their health and lives.

The court called for lawmakers to revise the law by the end of 2020, but as of 2025, the legal vacuum remains after bills expired from political disagreement and public debate, and illegal distribution of abortion pill have continued through social media.

Amid the continuing legal vacuum, recent data from the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs show that 32,063 abortions were performed in Korea in 2020 — a sharp decline from the hundreds of thousands estimated in previous decades. Most women cited socioeconomic reasons for seeking an abortion, and nearly all reported obtaining abortion-related information online.

An online post advertises a black-market offer for Mifegyne, a leading abortion pill, in Korea, where such medications remain illegal and unapproved for medical use. Screenshot from internet

“As the absence of clear laws drags on, we are seeing an increase in arbitrary refusals of services by hospitals, a surge in illegal use of abortion medication, and mounting economic burdens on women,” Dr. Kim Hee-sun, an obstetrician-gynecologist from NHIS Ilsan Hospital, said during the forum.

“It is crucial for Korea to enact evidence-based laws and systems to protect women’s health, eliminate legal ambiguity for doctors and ensure safe and accessible care for all,” Kim said, echoing a widespread call among medical professionals for prompt legislative action.