An activist calls for government approval of abortion pills during a rally in Seoul, in this April 10, 2022, file photo. Korea is seeking to grant access to abortion pills, as officials plan to include the right to use such drugs in a legislation bill, The Korea Times has learned. Newsis

The Korean government is seeking to grant access to abortion pills, as officials plan to include the right to using such drugs in their legislation bill, The Korea Times learned, Monday.

An official who has direct knowledge of the issue at the Ministry of Health and Welfare said that pregnant women's right to medication abortion, or non-surgical abortion, would be encompassed in a government bill expected to be drafted in the coming months.

"Legally guaranteeing access to the abortion drug is important," the official said. "The direction of our legislative efforts is to guarantee the right for individuals to choose between surgical and non-surgical abortion methods, as both options offer distinct advantages and disadvantages."

Giving women full access to abortion pills requires a substantial revision of the related laws and administrative rules, including a law that allows abortion only with the consent of a physician and another one that prohibits advertising such drugs to the public.

"Matters such as who decides whether women should take abortion pills and where to buy them are expected to be discussed further at the National Assembly once we submit the bill, hopefully soon," the official said.

The bill is being drafted collaboratively by three government departments ― the ministries of health, drug safety and justice ― as they aim to enact laws necessary to protect women and unborn babies. Following the Constitutional Court's 2019 ruling that the country's abortion ban was unconstitutional, abortion has remained in a legal gray area, with no successful legislative efforts to address the issue.

No abortion pills have been approved in Korea. But officials at the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety recently said Mifegymiso, a combination product containing two drugs (mifepristone and misoprostol), is now under their review for approval.

As the government works to include the right to access abortion drugs in a legislative bill, it is likely that more pharmaceutical companies will follow Linepharma, the developer of Mifegymiso, in seeking approval to sell their products in Korea.

All previous legislative efforts to address abortion have failed largely due to the sensitive and polarizing nature of the issue. However, recent controversies, including a YouTube video where a woman claimed to have had an abortion at nine months, may soon give new momentum to these efforts.

Hwang Woo-yea, interim leader of the conservative ruling People Power Party, speaks during a meeting at a party office in Seoul, July 18. Yonhap

Facts regarding the case are still being investigated by police. Meanwhile, Hwang Woo-yea, the interim leader of the People Power Party, seized on the recent YouTube video controversy during a July 18 meeting to advocate for bipartisan legislative efforts focused on safeguarding the rights of women and their unborn babies.

"Given that even an abortion of a 22-week-old fetus or older cannot be penalized (under the current law), I'm urging both parties to step up efforts for legislation," Hwang said. "The legal system must protect both the fetus's right to life and the mother's right to self-determination, recognizing that both rights are equally important."

The central issue in the abortion debate has previously been — and will likely continue to be — drawing a clear legal line: At what point in a pregnancy is it too late to receive an abortion?

In its previous bill proposed to the Assembly, the government sought to revise relevant laws to allow the procedure up to 14 weeks for any reason and up to 24 weeks in cases of rape or serious health risks posed to the mother, among others.

That bill provoked intense and polarized reactions. Some pro-choice politicians and activists called for the complete decriminalization of abortion, while some conservative groups vowed to fight any moves to legalize the artificial termination of pregnancy.