Illegal abortion pills sweep South Korea
Online stores selling the pills are easily searchable, but most don’t talk about their side effects
By Rha Hae-sung
Despite laws banning medical or surgical abortion, the illegal trade in abortion pills has been steadily growing in South Korea. Law enforcement agencies have been cracking down on black markets, but the trafficking continues.
Korean online drug stores for abortion pills can be accessed within a few clicks on foreign search engines like Google. Most web pages selling the pills avoid specifying side effects while underscoring the advantages of medical abortion.
“Mifegyne is a package of medical abortion pills that doesn’t entail extreme pain and thus anaesthetics,” an online store for abortion pill Mifegyne says in its product description. “By simply taking a pill, you can avoid the side effects that derive from surgical abortions. It is cheaper and safer compared to the surgical processes.”
The drug-selling sites also have reviews that trumpet the pills’ benefits and safety. But the reviews’ credibility is limited as they are uploaded anonymously.
“I owe you my life, thank you so much,” one of the comments said. “It is the best pharmacy ever. I’ve successfully aborted my pregnancy through the pills.”