Seven years after abortion ban struck down, medication still blocked as ministries can't agree
Published: 06 Mar. 2026, 06:00
Updated: 06 Mar. 2026, 13:40
![Protesters demand safe abortion rights in Jongno District, central Seoul, on April 10, 2022. [NEWS1]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2026/03/06/62d815f0-21e4-4e9a-a537-512754b698da.jpg)
Protesters demand safe abortion rights in Jongno District, central Seoul, on April 10, 2022. [NEWS1]
The introduction of abortion medication in Korea remains delayed amid disagreements among government ministries, even seven years after the Constitutional Court ruled the country’s abortion ban unconstitutional. Disputes over legal authority in particular have stalled discussions on allowing the drugs, according to Rep. Nam In-soon of the ruling Democratic Party.
The court struck down Korea's abortion ban in 2019 and ordered lawmakers to revise related laws, but the government and National Assembly have yet to establish a legal framework governing abortion procedures and medication.
According to Nam, both the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family and the Ministry of Health and Welfare support introducing abortion pills to protect women’s health. However, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety maintains its stance that approval can only proceed after the law clearly defines whether medication-induced abortion is allowed and the permitted gestational period.
Relevant ministries — including the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Ministry of Justice along with the Drug Safety Ministry — held meetings from September to October last year to discuss broader institutional reforms related to abortion. But discussions have effectively stopped since then.
“The law must specify the gestational limit under which abortion is permitted before we can conduct safety evaluations,” a Drug Safety Ministry official stated.
The ministry sought external legal consultations several times on the issue, Nam’s office said. The majority opinion indicated that product approval could be granted under the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act regardless of whether the Mother and Child Health Act is revised.
![Gender Equality and Family Minister Won Min-kyung speaks during a Cabinet meeting at the Blue House in Jongno District, central Seoul, on Feb. 24. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2026/03/06/e95a783f-c95e-4dc8-aa8b-c3d1c4253a9d.jpg)
Gender Equality and Family Minister Won Min-kyung speaks during a Cabinet meeting at the Blue House in Jongno District, central Seoul, on Feb. 24. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]
“Refusing approval despite the loss of legal grounds following the abolition of the abortion crime constitutes an abuse of power by the Drug Safety Ministry,” Nam argued.
President Lee Jae Myung also criticized the prolonged delay during a presidential policy briefing by the Gender Ministry in December last year.
“The government is essentially ignoring it and leaving it unattended, right?” Lee asked, referring to the delay in authorizing abortion pills. When Gender Equality and Family Minister Won Min-kyung replied that several ministries were carefully reviewing the matter together, Lee responded, “I don’t know how many years this 'careful review' has been dragging on for.”
When a government official explained the Drug Safety Ministry's position that legislation should come first, Lee asked the Gender Ministry whether “the administration could do anything.” Won replied that there was nothing they could do.
![A rally to “End the Abortion Ban” sign in front of Yeongdeungpo Station in Yeongdeungpo District, western Seoul, on Nov. 7, 2020. [JOONGANG ILBO]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2026/03/06/bc4d79b8-d5d0-4451-a712-f3762d0790f0.jpg)
A rally to “End the Abortion Ban” sign in front of Yeongdeungpo Station in Yeongdeungpo District, western Seoul, on Nov. 7, 2020. [JOONGANG ILBO]
Legislation has also stalled. Four related bills have been proposed in the 22nd National Assembly but remain pending in committee. In the previous 21st National Assembly, the government submitted a bill in 2020 that included medication as a method of abortion, but the bill was discarded when the parliamentary term ended on May 29, 2024.
“The Gender Ministry and the Drug Safety Ministry cannot seem to agree with each other, and the National Assembly is also reluctant to take any action with the local election coming in June,” a government official stated.
Hur Min-sook, a legislative researcher at the National Assembly Research Service, criticized the delay. “Unless the National Assembly passes legislation, the role of the relevant ministries is limited. The National Assembly, which has legislative responsibility, is postponing its role.”
![[MINISTRY OF FOOD AND DRUG SAFETY]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2026/03/06/9fbac5be-8a07-45d3-9c7c-c3ecbcbbb3ec.jpg)
[MINISTRY OF FOOD AND DRUG SAFETY]
Illegal distribution of abortion pills has continued amid the legal vacuum. Authorities detected 682 cases of illegal online distribution last year, bringing the five-year total to 2,971 cases.
Posts selling abortion pills are easily found on social media platforms. One seller that the JoongAng Ilbo contacted through X offered to send the medication by courier for 180,000 won ($121).
![[JOONGANG ILBO]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2026/03/06/3d01e8df-2065-44b4-891d-0b7939e270cf.jpg)
[JOONGANG ILBO]
“Drugs sold online are extremely dangerous because their ingredients cannot be verified,” Lee Beom-jin, a professor at Ajou University’s College of Pharmacy, warned.
Abortion medication is listed as an essential medicine by the World Health Organization and is used in more than 100 countries, including Germany, France, Britain and Japan.
“The government should officially introduce the mediation so women can use it safely,” stated Yoo Ji-yeon, an activist at Amnesty International Korea.
“We should no longer leave abortion in the shadows but manage it responsibly within a safe public health care system,” Rep. Nam emphasized.
Updated, March 6, 2026: Changes made to reflect the correct ministries involved in discussions.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY CHAE HYE-SEON [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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