South Korea Set to Approve Abortion Pills Next Year

South Korea this week announced that it plans to approve abortion medication, with restrictions, for the first time in a nation that used to have one of the strictest policies against abortion among developed countries.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.President Lee Jae-myung recognized this legal vacuum on social media and said the government’s decision to introduce abortion drugs in phases can improve protections for women who need access to medically safe procedures.“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.”Won Min-kyong, Minister of Gender Equality and Family, said Wednesday that under the proposal, women up to nine weeks pregna...