Opposition Party: "Speed up 'Birth Notification System' Processing at the Plenary Session on the 30th"

Expected Passage at the Full Committee Meeting on the 29th after the Legislative Affairs Committee Subcommittee on the 28th
Discussion on the Protected Childbirth System Needed in the Welfare Committee

The Democratic Party of Korea announced that it will expedite the passage of the 'Birth Notification System' bill at the National Assembly plenary session scheduled for the 30th. As social issues related to 'unreported infants' with no records after birth are spreading, the party intends to first handle the Birth Notification System, which has no opposition from either the ruling or opposition parties. Meanwhile, the 'Protected Birth System,' which was discussed alongside it, will be considered further at the committee level before proceeding.

Park Kwang-on, floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is speaking at the floor strategy meeting held at the National Assembly on the 27th. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

On the 27th, Kim Han-gyu, the floor spokesperson, told reporters after the morning floor countermeasure meeting at the National Assembly, "Currently, bills related to the birth registration system are under review," and predicted the passage of the 'Birth Notification System' by the end of this month. He explained, "We have set a plan to pass it at the Legislation and Judiciary Committee's bill subcommittee tomorrow (28th), then pass it at the full committee meeting on the day after tomorrow (29th), so that it can be processed immediately on the 30th."

The Birth Notification System is a system where medical institutions directly notify local governments of birth information to prevent the occurrence of 'unreported children' due to parents deliberately omitting birth registration. In the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, about ten proposed amendments have been pending, including those by Kim Mi-ae of the People Power Party and Shin Hyun-young of the Democratic Party of Korea. However, following this incident, both ruling and opposition parties have reached a consensus on introducing the Birth Notification System, accelerating the discussion.

Regarding the 'Protected Birth System,' which is being discussed alongside the Birth Notification System to prevent accidents involving unregistered infants, further review is needed, and it will be deliberated at the committee level.

Spokesperson Kim said, "The Birth Notification System has already been reviewed by the Welfare Committee as a relevant review body and submitted to the Legislation and Judiciary Committee," adding, "Since it was positively discussed in the committee and there is no opposition (between ruling and opposition parties), our party's position is that it is desirable to pass the uncontested matters first."

He added, "There are multiple bills regarding the Protected Birth System, and there are differences among them," and "It seems necessary to discuss this in the Welfare Committee." He further stated, "Realistically, it will be difficult to process it by the 30th, so we will first handle the Birth Notification System and strive to process the Protected Birth System as soon as possible. We aim to pass it in the July National Assembly session at the earliest."

The Protected Birth System allows pregnant women in crisis to give birth anonymously at hospitals, with local governments protecting the child. Kim Mi-ae proposed a special law on protected birth in 2020, which is currently pending in the National Assembly. This law enables pregnant women facing economic and social difficulties to give birth anonymously through consultations with local governments. The People Power Party insists that both the Birth Notification System and the Protected Birth System should be passed simultaneously.

Regarding this, Kim Sung-joo, senior deputy chairman of the Democratic Party's Policy Committee, said in a meeting with reporters, "The Protected Birth System aims to prevent infant abandonment by allowing anonymity so that the identity of the mother is not revealed, but many experts are skeptical about whether it can actually prevent infant abandonment even if the mother's identity is protected." He added, "It is appropriate to handle the Birth Notification System and the Protected Birth System together, but since opinions are divided on the Protected Birth System, it needs to be carefully considered and reviewed."

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