The Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) in South Korea investigated 9,603 children born between 2010 and 2014 who were not registered at birth and discovered that 469, approximately 5%, had passed away, according to the ministry on Feb. 20.
In response to these findings, the government has called for police inquiries into 2,547 cases where the children’s fates remain unclear. This initiative is part of a broader investigation that commenced in June of the previous year, prompted by an audit from the Board of Audit and Inspection of Korea. The audit revealed the existence of 2,132 ‘missing children’ born in hospitals between 2015 and 2022, who were initially given temporary newborn identification numbers but were never officially registered by their parents. Of these children, 249 were found to have died. Overall, out of over 11,700 ‘missing children’ born between 2010 and 2022, a total of 718 have been confirmed deceased. This government announcement marks the probe’s conclusion into the issue of unregistered births.
To address this issue, both the government and the ruling and opposition parties have established a birth registration system. This system mandates hospitals to report births to the authorities and has also introduced an anonymous birth system, enabling pregnant women to give birth without revealing their identity. Before these measures, professional associations for obstetricians had resisted the birth registration system, arguing that it unfairly transferred the responsibility and burden of reporting births onto medical institutions.
The MOHW disclosed that 6248 (65.1%) of the 9,603 children who were not registered at birth have been located and are alive. Among these, 2,036 (32.6%) are cared for by their parents at home, while a significant majority, 3,714 or nearly 60%, have been adopted. The majority of the 469 deceased children had died due to illnesses. Regarding the 2,547 children whose status remains uncertain, 537 have either lost touch with their guardians or their guardians have declined home visits. Other reasons for the lack of confirmation of their well-being include denial of birth in 499 cases, abandonment in ‘baby boxes’ in 264 cases, and private adoption in 234 cases.
