South Korea Set to Approve Abortion Pills Next Year ...Middle East

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Boxes Of Mifepristone A box of Mifepristone combined with misoprostol tablets is stored in a medicine storage facility in Tehatta, West Bengal, India, on May 17, 2026. —Soumyabrata Roy—NurPhoto/Getty Images

Government officials are looking to authorize such medication seven years after the country’s Constitutional Court ruled a longstanding ban on most abortions unconstitutional. While abortion was decriminalized, the South Korean parliament has yet to enact new regulations.

“During that time, women have been unable to obtain safe abortion drugs and have had to rely on overseas direct purchases or illegal transactions, taking risks in the process,” Lee said Thursday. “Even while fixing a leaking roof, the floor gets wet. I believe that doing what we can now, rather than waiting for a perfect solution, is a slightly better decision.”

“We expect this to serve as an opportunity to strengthen the policy foundation for overall women’s health, including pregnancy, childbirth, and contraception,” Won said.

Prime Minister Han Seong-sook responded to critics and conservatives who are against the abortion medication plan, saying the government is also taking “concerns regarding the value of life” seriously. “This measure is aimed at protecting the people’s health rather than encouraging abortion,” Han said. 

Misoprostol and its combination with mifepristone are included on the World Health Organization’s Model List of Essential Medicines and are used for the management of medical abortion. Mifepristone blocks progesterone, the hormone that keeps pregnancies going, while misoprostol, taken 24 to 48 hours later, empties the uterus. But misoprostol is also used to treat stomach ulcers.

How is abortion medication used globally?

France and China became the first countries to approve mifepristone in 1988. 

The database also lists that 123 nations have country-recognized approval of misoprostol, with 41 in Africa, 28 in Asia, and 23 in Europe. Some countries, however, have only approved misoprostol for non-gynecological use. 

What have been the reactions in South Korea?

The Korea Women’s Political Network welcomed the plan, saying in a Wednesday statement that it was “a significant step forward in that it establishes an institutional foundation to enable women seeking abortions to access safe and verified medical services, amidst the legislative and institutional vacuum.”

The Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea, meanwhile, said the government should move away from expanding access to abortion pills and instead build “a roadmap of support to help women in crisis not give up on life.”

“Our organization is not opposed to the introduction itself in principle (of Mifepristone),” the Korean Association of Obstetricians and Gynecologists said in its statement. “We will not accept any introduction that does not guarantee patient safety and the legal protection of medical professionals.” 

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