Seoul doctor charged with murder after nine-month abortion, exposing South Korea's legal vacuum
SEOUL, June 29 — A doctor has been arrested and charged with murder in South Korea after a nine-month pregnancy was terminated and the baby, allegedly born alive, was left to die — a case that has reignited debate over the country's vague abortion laws.
The Korea Times reported today that Judge Park Jeong-ho of the Seoul Central District Court approved arrest warrants yesterday for the surgeon, surnamed Shim, and the clinic head, Yoon, over their roles in what prosecutors say was a live birth followed by fatal neglect.
Investigators said evidence showed the baby was alive 'before and after' the procedure, which took place at 36 weeks — the full-term mark — and that the same clinic had performed hundreds of abortions on other women.
The Korean Medical Association condemned the case, stating: 'A foetus at 36 weeks of pregnancy is a baby who could survive well if born, and terminating a pregnancy at this stage is tantamount to murder.'
Abortion was decriminalised by South Korea's Constitutional Court in 2019, but no new law has since been passed, leaving late-term procedures in a legal grey area and potentially subject to criminal charges.
Legislative efforts have stalled amid political upheaval, including former President Yoon Suk-yeol's declaration of martial law in December.
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