(LifeSiteNews) — A South Korean doctor has been arrested and charged with murder following the abortion of a nine-month unborn baby last year, reigniting national debate over the country’s ambiguous abortion laws and medical ethics.
On Saturday, Judge Park Jeong-ho of the Seoul Central District Court approved arrest warrants for the surgeon, identified as Shim, and the facility’s director, “Yoon.”
Authorities allege the child was born alive and then deliberately left to die, which they say amounts to murder through “wilful neglect.”
The case dates back to late 2024, when the initial request for detention was denied. Prosecutors resumed investigations in the following months, seizing clinic records and suspect cellphones. Officials say evidence suggests that the baby was alive both before and after the procedure.
The abortion was allegedly committed via labor induction – a method that, if resulting in a live birth followed by intentional death, could meet the legal definition of murder under Korean law.
The Korean Medical Association condemned the incident, stating: “A fetus at 36 weeks is a baby who could survive well if born, and terminating a pregnancy at this stage is tantamount to murder.”
South Korea’s abortion laws have been in limbo since 2019, when the Constitutional Court struck down the nation’s blanket ban but failed to mandate a clear legal framework. No replacement legislation has been enacted, leaving abortion technically decriminalized but undefined in scope – especially regarding late-term procedures.
Attempts to legislate gestational limits have repeatedly failed amid political divisions. Some lawmakers have proposed a 10-week limit, while liberal factions have pushed for broader allowances.
A draft bill in late 2024 stalled following former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s declaration of martial law in December, which suspended much parliamentary activity. This also led to the suspension of a pending review of Hyundai Pharm’s abortion pill.
The case involving Shim and Yoon drew national attention after a video surfaced online from the woman who underwent the abortion. Prosecutors confirmed that the same clinic has committed hundreds of other abortions.
If convicted, the charges could set a landmark precedent, establishing a legal boundary on late-term abortions in a country where no such line has yet been codified.
