The term "child born out of wedlock" will be removed from all government documents related to child welfare, as South Korea moves to eliminate discriminatory language that stigmatizes children based on their parents' marital status.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare announced Monday that it has given advance legislative notice of partial amendments to the enforcement decree and enforcement regulations of the Child Welfare Act. The amendment includes institutional improvements to prevent child abuse and its recurrence, while also revising the term "child born out of wedlock" that remained in administrative forms.
While the term had already been deleted from the main text of the Child Welfare Act, it remained in subordinate legislation such as attached forms in the enforcement regulations used by public officials in the field. Through this amendment, the ministry decided to completely remove the expression not only from legislation but also from all forms used in actual administrative practice.
The measure is interpreted as supporting social changes as family structures rapidly diversify. According to Statistics Korea's 2024 birth statistics, about six out of every 100 children born in 2023 were born outside of legal marriage. The number of children born outside marriage stood at 13,800, accounting for 5.8% of the total, the highest level since related statistics began being compiled in 1981.
In the past, there was a strong perception that marriage was a prerequisite for childbirth, but recently the atmosphere of accepting non-marital childbirth as a choice has spread. In particular, the term "child born out of wedlock" became controversial again following the case of a well-known celebrity in late 2024, with continued criticism that expressions categorizing children based on their parents could infringe on children's rights.
The government's position is to clarify its "child-centered" policy direction through this amendment. "We aim to revise terminology remaining in the forms of the Child Welfare Act enforcement regulations to resolve negative perceptions," said Kim Jung-yeon, director of the child policy division at the Ministry of Health and Welfare. However, additional review is needed to determine whether the same expression remains in other laws within the ministry or in legislation of other ministries.
The amendment also includes standards for composing and operating a special committee to conduct detailed analyses when deaths suspected of being caused by child abuse occur. It further strengthens the child protection system by specifying detailed grounds under which heads of local governments can request court rulings to terminate parental rights over children in need of protection.
