Gyeongnam Province Searches for 118 Individuals with Only Temporary Newborn Numbers

20 People Located Through Home Visits, 9 Cases Referred for Investigation

In Geoje, Gyeongnam, where the biological parents who killed a 5-day-old infant and abandoned the body have been arrested, it has been revealed that more than 100 children in the province have only been issued temporary newborn numbers.

According to Gyeongnam Province on the 3rd, when a child is born, the newborn is registered in the integrated vaccination management system before the birth is reported, and is assigned a temporary newborn number. There are 118 children in the province who have only been given this number.

Gyeongnam Provincial Government Office.
Photo by Lee Seryeong

The province has completed investigations on 20 of the 118 children, among whom the whereabouts of 11 children have been confirmed.

Seven children have had their births reported, two children have been adopted, and two children have had death reports filed after birth registration. The whereabouts and life status of the remaining nine children are unknown.

Unconfirmed cases include four suspected abandonments at baby boxes in Seoul and Gyeonggi areas, three cases of adoption proceeding before birth registration, and one case where a local government official was refused a home visit.

The province has requested the police to investigate the children whose whereabouts are unknown, and investigations are ongoing on nine cases, including the Geoje infant murder and abandonment case being investigated by the Gyeongnam Police Agency.

By the 7th, officials plan to visit each home to confirm the whereabouts of the children and continue investigations into children whose births have not been reported.

A provincial official said, “The birth notification system, in which medical institutions notify local governments of newborn birth information, has passed the National Assembly. Once this law is implemented, it will be a great help to the children,” adding, “We will conduct thorough investigations for the safety of unconfirmed children and devote efforts to protect their lives.”

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