Seen here is a baby box set up in front of Jusarang Community Church in southern Seoul on May 11, 2023. The drop box, where unmarried mothers can leave unwanted infants, was established in 2009 as the first of its kind in South Korea. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, June 26 (Korea Bizwire) — With recent reports from the state auditor that some 2,000 babies born in South Korea since 2015 were undocumented after birth, concerns are growing regarding births occurring outside of hospitals.
According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare and Statistics Korea, births occurring outside of hospitals account for 1 percent (100 to 200 cases per year) of all childbirths in the country.
Most of these cases involve situations where pregnant women lacked access to medical clinics or desired to conceal their pregnancy.
Babies born at medical institutions are automatically assigned a temporary number, which is necessary for obtaining essential vaccines and serves as proof of birth.
However, babies born outside of hospitals do not possess these records unless the parents take additional measures.
In circumstances where only the mother knows about the birth, criminal activities such as baby abandonment or murder have occurred.
Experts are urging the government to safeguard and assist pregnant women who wish to give birth anonymously.
“Rather than focusing solely on punishing the parents responsible for crimes against newborn children, our society has tended to overlook the search for a solution,” said Jung Ik-jong, director of the state-run National Center for the Rights of the Child.
“These criminal activities stem from the neglect of individual deviations and the failure to address various social and institutional limitations.”
Lina Jang (linajang@koreabizwire.com)
