South Korea considering legalization of abortion pills

In a roundtable discussion held in Seoul, physician Suzanne Veldhuis, affiliated with Women on Web, emphasised the need for the recognition of pregnancy termination as a fundamental right for women's safety. This call comes amidst ongoing discussions about the legalisation of abortion medication in South Korea.

The government, under Health Minister Chung Eun-kyung, has pledged to review the introduction of abortion medication. However, until lawmakers translate policy pledges into enforceable law, women continue to grapple with a system that recognises their right to choose in theory but withholds the tools to exercise it safely in practice.

Mifepristone, a medication used to terminate early pregnancies, remains banned in South Korea despite its international recognition for safety and efficacy. The World Health Organization included mifepristone on its list of essential medicines as early as 2005.

The Constitutional Court's ruling in 2019 declared that criminalising abortion violated women's bodily autonomy and ordered lawmakers to craft a replacement law by the end of 2020. Six years later, the country remains in a legal grey area, with the parliament failing to act.

Experts anticipate that legal recognition of abortion medication may finally end South Korea's long limbo. Yet, concerns remain about a growing gap between demand and medical capacity for gynecological services. According to a 2025 issue paper by the Korean Women's Development Institute, the cost of abortion surgery continues to climb, with 40 percent of patients reporting they paid over 1 million won ($718).

In response to these issues, both ruling and opposition lawmakers have begun pushing bills that explicitly recognise abortion by medication as a legal medical procedure. Rep. Nam In-soon of the Democratic Party of Korea introduced a bill amending the Maternal and Child Health Act to define abortion as "termination of pregnancy by surgical or pharmaceutical methods."

However, progress has been slow. In 2023, more than 1,800 pharmacists, doctors, and citizens petitioned the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety to allow and classify abortion medication as essential, but their request was rejected. The following year, the National Human Rights Commission of Korea recommended the formal introduction and classification of mifepristone as an essential medicine, but progress stalled.

Advocates argue that women in South Korea are forced into a "blind spot" due to lack of clear legal guidelines. This situation disproportionately affects vulnerable groups such as survivors of domestic and sexual violence, adolescents, and unemployed women.

Obstetrician Yoon Jung-won highlighted that abortion services have become a "luxury" for women excluded from mainstream systems, such as migrant women and women with disabilities. Women seeking abortions often resort to buying smuggled abortion pills at exorbitant prices, increasing the risk of counterfeit pills and severe health complications.

The government of President Lee Jae Myung has recently included the legalization of abortion medication in its five-year national policy agenda. As discussions continue, the hope remains that South Korea will soon move beyond its six-year limbo, ensuring women's safety and reproductive rights.