2123 Children with Only Temporary Newborn Numbers... Full Survey Officially Launched

In the wake of the infant murder case in Suwon-si, Gyeonggi Province, which exposed blind spots in child safety management, the government and local governments are set to launch a full-scale investigation into infants and young children who have not been registered at birth and only have temporary newborn numbers.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare announced that starting from the 28th, it will conduct a full investigation to verify the birth registration status and confirm the whereabouts and safety of children who remain registered only with temporary newborn numbers, as identified during the Board of Audit and Inspection’s audit. The temporary newborn number is a 7-digit provisional number used within 12 hours after birth for managing hepatitis B vaccination records and reimbursement of related costs.

Lee Gi-il, the 1st Vice Minister of Health and Welfare, announced measures related to child abuse, including a temporary newborn number management and a survey plan on the status of children, on the 22nd.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

The subjects of the full investigation are 2,123 children, excluding those who have since been registered at birth, out of 2,236 children confirmed by the Board of Audit and Inspection as having temporary newborn numbers but no birth registration as of April 23. The local government investigations are to be completed by the 7th of next month, and depending on the results, cases will be referred to the police for investigation. Welfare officials and family relations and resident registration officials from each local government will visit homes to verify the birth registration status and confirm the whereabouts and safety of the children.

On the same day, the Ministry of Health and Welfare, through consultations with the Social Security Council, announced the information on "children remaining with temporary newborn numbers and their guardians’ information" as data that can be used to identify support recipients, thereby establishing the basis for the full investigation. Additionally, they are working on revising the Enforcement Decree of the Act on the Use and Provision of Social Security Benefits and the Discovery of Beneficiaries to enable regular identification of children at risk in the future.

Minister Cho Kyu-hong stated, "While ensuring thorough verification of the whereabouts and safety of children through the full investigation, we will strengthen the system so that this investigation is not a one-time measure but leads to all children being safely protected and able to grow up securely."

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