Gender Equality and Family Minister Won Min‑kyong told reporters the two‑pill combination will be prescribed to women up to nine weeks pregnant, with doctors dispensing the medication in hospitals for the first two years before a shift to pharmacy‑based dispensing.
Prime Minister Han Seong‑sook said the plan is intended to let women “receive treatment within a safe medical system without relying on unverified methods,” emphasizing the government’s focus on medical safety.
The nine‑week gestational limit is shorter than the twelve‑week window the World Health Organization deems safe for the regimen; Shin Jun‑su, director general for pharmaceutical safety at the drug safety ministry, said the discrepancy reflects the scope of clinical trial data submitted with the local drug application.
The move follows a 2019 Constitutional Court ruling that declared the 66‑year‑old criminal ban on abortion unconstitutional and ordered lawmakers to amend the law by the end of 2020 – a deadline that has not been met, leaving a legal vacuum that has driven some women to obtain unverified abortion drugs online.
President Lee Jae Myung instructed officials in July to explore allowing the two‑drug regimen, and the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs estimates that about 32,000 abortions were performed in 2020, the vast majority of which were surgical rather than medication‑based.
Women’s rights groups welcomed the announcement as a “first step toward supporting a safe ending of pregnancy” but urged faster access and inclusion of the pills in health‑insurance coverage, while the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea voiced “deep concerns,” warning that the approval could further erode respect for life and said it would consider legal action.