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More single moms are dumping their babies

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Infant abandonment by single moms continues to rise in Korea. Yonhap
Infant abandonment by single moms continues to rise in Korea. Yonhap

By Dong Sun-hwa

A single mom in Iksan, North Jeolla Province, was recently arrested for dumping her dead baby into a trash heap. She had reportedly neglected the baby after giving birth, leading to the death.

Single mothers abandoning babies has been rising in Korea. There were 116 cases in 2016 and 177 in 2017. There have been 142 cases up to August this year, the latest figure available, according to the National Police Agency.

Experts attribute the increase to the enforcement of the September 2012 revision of the adoption related law.

Under this law, infants that are not registered after birth cannot be adopted or go to an orphanage. But single moms are reluctant to make registrations because they do not want to be "officially" identified.

The unstable economic situation of single moms is another big factor. About 46 percent of them have run up debts, according to the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family.

"Men are also half-responsible, and the problem regarding childbirth is also the issue of our entire society," Jung Keun-sik, a sociology professor at Seoul National University, told media outlet Newsis. "To prevent single moms from dumping their infants, there should be a change in system ― for instance, society should also take responsibility for child rearing."


Dong Sun-hwa sunhwadong@koreatimes.co.kr


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