Korean Job Discussion Forums

[shoeboy]

Is it legal in Korea?

[ttompatz]

[aboxofchocolates]

Here's a thing I picked up on google. Say, out of curiosity, why didn't you google it? I was curious too and I'm just as glad to have a reason to look it up, but it only took thirty seconds to find out.

[/quote] Sections 269 and 270 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Korea of 1953 strictly prohibited abortion on any grounds. In 1973, however, the Maternal and Child Health Law established exemptions from this prohibition. According to this law, a physician may perform an abortion if the pregnant woman or her spouse suffers from an eugenic or hereditary mental or physical disease specified by Presidential Decree, if the woman or her spouse suffers from a communicable disease specified by Presidential Decree, if the pregnancy results from rape or incest or if continuation of the pregnancy is likely to jeopardize the mother�s health. In all other circumstances, a pregnant woman inducing her own miscarriage or any person performing an abortion is subject to imprisonment for one year or a fine. The penalties for medical personnel are increased to imprisonment for up to two years.

[RACETRAITOR]

Does it matter whether it's legal? The point is it's performed.

[ladron]

[Hyeon Een]

Whilst it is technically illegal in most circumstances it is incredibly easy to get it safely performed by real doctors. Much easier than in countries where it is legal. It isn't an old-lady-with-a-coat-hanger or a big-man-with-a-fist-to-the-stomach job.

There are hundreds of 'woman clinics' all over Korea. They are technically gynaecologists but they also perform abortions. They don't ask too many questions and will carry out the operation immediately. These clinics are all over the place, a medium sized city would have half a dozen and I expect Seoul has several hundred. Ask a co-teacher where the nearest woman's clinic is and they'll point you in the right direction. (They also do normal woman-clinic stuff so it doesn't scream "ABORTION" if you ask).

The cost is about 300k-500k, so really quite cheap. The woman normally spends about 4-6hrs in the hospital. Most of that is recovery time lying in a bed with a drip. Eating some gomtang, seollong-tang, juk, or eel is recommended afterwards.

I read a shockingly high statistic once of the number of Korean women who had had abortions, but I don't remember what it was. I guess it was something like 80% of women over the age of 30 had had at least one abortion or something. It's a very very common procedure in S. Korea, despite being illegal in most circumstances.