Infant Murder in Suwon... 'Belated' Comprehensive Investigation

In relation to the infant murder case in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, the government hastily decided to conduct a full investigation of infants and young children who have not been registered at birth and only have temporary newborn numbers, but it has become difficult to avoid criticism that this exposed loopholes in the child protection and social welfare system.

On the afternoon of the 22nd, Lee Gi-il, the 1st Vice Minister of the Ministry of Health and Welfare, held an emergency briefing at the Government Seoul Office and announced, "From now on, a nationwide full investigation will be conducted jointly by the National Police Agency, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, and local governments on all children who only have temporary newborn numbers."

Lee Gi-il, the 1st Vice Minister of Health and Welfare, is announcing measures related to child abuse, including a temporary newborn number management and a child status survey plan, at the Government Seoul Office on the afternoon of the 22nd.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

Vice Minister of Welfare: "Apologies to the Public"... Full Investigation of 2,236 Children

Vice Minister Lee said, "First of all, I sincerely apologize to the public for the fact that children born in relation to the Suwon infant death incident did not receive protection from our society after birth and died," and explained, "This case was identified during the process of the Board of Audit and Inspection conducting a status survey on at-risk children during the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s regular audit in March, when they investigated 2,236 children born in medical institutions who did not receive resident registration numbers but only had newborn numbers." Considering that only some of the 2,236 children were selected for investigation during the audit, the Ministry of Health and Welfare decided to conduct a full investigation.

Following the audit results, the Ministry of Health and Welfare plans to investigate children who have not been registered at birth and only have temporary newborn numbers issued by medical institutions, in consultation with the National Police Agency, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, and local governments. They will contact the child’s guardians through local governments to check their safety, and if confirmation is not possible, they will cooperate with the police to locate the children.

Currently, when a child is born in a medical institution, a temporary newborn number is assigned even if the birth is not registered, so that the child can receive the first dose of the hepatitis B vaccine for national immunization. Afterwards, the medical institution receives reimbursement from the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency for the cost. However, the Ministry of Health and Welfare explained that since the temporary newborn number does not include the mother’s information, tracking of unregistered children based on this number has not been possible until now. Vice Minister Lee said, "Until now, there was no legal basis to identify children by temporary newborn numbers, but we will promptly amend the Enforcement Decree of the Social Security Benefits Act to establish this basis," adding, "It will take about a month to amend the decree, but if necessary, we will take proactive administrative action immediately during that period."

Acceleration of Birth Notification System and Protected Birth System... Difficulties Expected

To establish fundamental solutions, the Ministry of Health and Welfare plans to consult with related ministries and the National Assembly to promptly legislate the ‘Birth Notification System,’ which notifies local governments to prevent omission of birth registration when a child is born in a medical institution, and the ‘Protected Birth System,’ which supports anonymous childbirth. Vice Minister Lee emphasized, "We will thoroughly conduct a full investigation and prepare legal and institutional improvements to ensure that such incidents never recur," and added, "We will create a safe environment for precious lives to grow up healthy and happy in our society."

However, the medical community has voiced opposition, citing excessive workload and other reasons. The Direct Election Korean Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology previously opposed the government’s plan to introduce the medical institution birth notification system, saying, "The government is shifting the responsibility and obligation of child protection onto the private sector." There are also concerns that the birth notification system could drive those who want to conceal childbirth to give birth outside hospitals or seek abortion. According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, cases of childbirth outside hospitals in Korea account for about 1% of all births, approximately 100 to 200 cases annually. Although the protected birth system is introduced alongside the birth notification system, it may be difficult to identify all out-of-hospital births.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare plans to consult with the medical community and the National Assembly to promptly legislate the birth notification system and related measures. Vice Minister Lee said, "The birth notification system is currently pending in the Legislation and Judiciary Committee. Consultations with medical institutions will soon conclude, and once it passes the committee, it is expected to pass the plenary session immediately," adding, "We expect it to be enacted as early as June or by July at the latest."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.