Based on the “Provisional Results of Birth and Death Statistics for 2022″ and “Population Trends for December 2022″ reports published earlier this year by Statistics Korea, the total fertility rate for 2022 was reported to be 0.78. (Image courtesy of Pixabay)
SEOUL, June 30 (Korea Bizwire) — The National Assembly passed a bill requiring medical institutions to report the births of newborns to local governments Friday, after two unregistered babies were found dead in a refrigerator last week.
The revision to the Act on Registration of Family Relations came amid public outrage over shocking revelations that a woman in her 30s allegedly strangled her two babies to death shortly after their births in 2018 and 2019, respectively, and kept their bodies in a home refrigerator.
The case revealed a loophole in South Korea’s baby registration system in which only parents are required to report the births of their children to the government within a month after their births, leaving open the possibility of abuse of unregistered babies.
The new legislation requires hospitals to notify local governments of baby information within 14 days after birth via the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRAS).
The bill unanimously passed the judiciary committee Thursday.
The revision will take effect one year after promulgation.
(Yonhap)
