South Korea dismisses abortion pill safety concerns

SEOUL (LifeSiteNews) – The South Korean Ministry of Food & Drug Safety says it will not bother with clinical bridging trials before approving the abortion drug mifepristone in the country, claiming not to have found causes for concern in the research already conducted.

As previously covered by LifeSiteNews, the government announced September 16 that it plans to allow abortion pills to be used up to nine weeks pregnant by early 2027, to be prescribed and dispensed by physicians for the first two years. The step advances the slow introduction of abortion to the country since the Constitutional Court decriminalized it in 2009.

Now, the Seoul Economic Daily reported that ministry commissioner Oh Yu-kyoung told lawmakers that “to date, no particular adverse reactions have been identified by race or by country, as far as I understand,” supposedly nixing the necessity of conducting bridging trials, additional studies specifically using Koreans to account for issues that might not be captured by foreign data.

Cho Bae-sook of the People Power Party questioned Oh, citing an April 2025 analysis by the Ethics & Public Policy Center (EPPC) in America, that examined insurance data to find that almost 11% of women suffer sepsis, infection, hemorrhaging, or other major conditions after taking mifepristone.

Oh dismissed the study on the grounds that “there is some difference between the report’s claims and the official position of the U.S. FDA” (which says it has a new review underway and could announce a different position in March 2027). American pro-lifers have long argued that the Food & Drug Administration’s approval of abortion drugs was a reckless and harmful decision rooted in political ideology, not sound medicine.

“Right now, young women in our country are obtaining this drug, which has severe side effects, through illegal channels, and that is a blind spot where they go unprotected,” Oh argued. “Given the safety concerns, I believe the right approach is one that allows these women to seek redress for harm through more lawful means.”

Pro-life Koreans have been speaking out since the approval was first announced.

“The CBCK voices deep concerns as this measure would only institutionalize abortion in an ‘orderly’ manner, without changing its fundamental nature, while allowing a disregard for life to be more deeply rooted in our society,” the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea declared last month.

“We strongly oppose the ‘introduction of phased abortion-inducing drugs’ that disregards the legal framework for the protection of life,” the Korean Christian Federation agreed. “Drugs that terminate the life of a fetus while posing a serious risk to women’s health must not be treated as a mere matter of choice and convenience. The National Assembly must promptly establish a legal regulatory framework regarding abortion based on the principle of protecting the life of the fetus.”

“The government and the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety must stop pushing for the institutional introduction of abortion drugs. The government and the National Assembly should create a social environment where pregnant women do not have to give up their lives rather than pursuing policies that expand access to abortion.”