Why a 36-Week Fetus Became 'Stillborn': A Ledger of 527 Abortions

The reality of an illicit abortion business has come to light.

On September 12, SBS's 'Unanswered Questions' investigated the reality of the abortion business targeting mothers in late stages of pregnancy.


In June 2024, a heavily pregnant woman at 36 weeks—just one month away from her due date—posted a vlog showing herself undergoing an abortion, sparking massive controversy. The incident, which drew fierce criticism as fetal murder, led to a police investigation that revealed the woman in her 20s, surnamed Kwon, had undergone the abortion procedure at an obstetrics and gynecology clinic in Incheon.


The clinic's director claimed that the fetus was already stillborn and that an emergency cesarean section was performed simply to deliver it from the mother. Everyone present in the operating room at the time—the lead surgeon, the anesthesiologist, and three nursing assistants—testified that they neither checked the condition of the fetus nor heard any crying.

However, the investigation uncovered additional eyewitness testimony stating that Director Yoon placed the delivered newborn in a black plastic bag and put it in a freezer. After being left in the freezer for more than two weeks, the fetus was sent to a crematorium through a cremation agency.

A search and seizure at Director Yoon's clinic also brought a shocking truth to light when investigators found a notebook. It recorded that as many as 527 mothers had received abortion procedures over two years, with monetary amounts written next to each mother's name. Furthermore, 110 of them were late-term pregnant women at 28 weeks or more, just like Kwon, and all of their fetuses were recorded as "stillborn."

Through reporting, the show met women who had been advised by Director Yoon to undergo abortions. It turned out that Director Yoon had proposed abortion procedures to pregnant women for a variety of reasons.

Many of the parents who underwent abortions at his suggestion reported hearing the baby cry during the procedure, leaving them traumatized to this day.

Eventually, after one year, the clinic director and the lead surgeon were arrested. However, none of the clinic staff answered questions regarding the case.


The production team also met Kwon, the 36-week pregnant mother at the center of the controversy. She confessed, "I couldn't believe there was a baby inside my belly. I was smoking and drinking a lot at the time, so I thought giving birth wouldn't be good for the baby either. I reached out after seeing an online advertisement saying surgery was possible regardless of the gestational age. They said surgery was only possible after the deposit was made, and the amount they demanded was 9 million won. I never imagined the baby would come out alive."

Kwon also revealed that the person she contacted was not the clinic, but a broker who connected her to the clinic. The broker reportedly told Kwon that the baby would be born dead.

Director Yoon had operated an obstetrics and gynecology clinic specializing in abortions since 2016. In his 80s and unable to perform surgery himself, he had contacted an anesthesiologist and a surgeon surnamed Shim, who worked at a university hospital, to perform the procedures. As a result, the surgeries were always carried out on Shim's days off or after his shifts.

The clinic also had a counseling manager dedicated to abortions, as well as an agency handling cremations for body disposal.


The reporting revealed that many other clinics besides Director Yoon's were engaged in similar practices. A nurse who had worked part-time at a clinic specializing in abortions said, "Because the baby was so large, we wrapped it in a black plastic bag, froze it in a freezer, and disposed of it along with medical waste, and there was also someone who collected them professionally."


She also shared that there were multiple coordinators handling abortions and that their incentives were high. Furthermore, dedicated websites exist to promote abortion clinics, where numerous clinics pay to place advertisements. The production team was easily able to find price lists set by clinics on such sites.


Through an undercover investigation, the team confirmed that for a late-term mother at 31 weeks, a clinic demanded a surgical fee of 15 million won, claiming the price was high due to ethical issues. The counseling manager at the clinic drew attention by stating that same-day surgery was the rule and adding, "You can just think of it as the baby not breathing the moment it comes out."

The program stated that it decided to conduct the undercover investigation to expose the reality of abortions being performed solely on the conscience and ethics of specialists, without relying on medical judgment or the viability of the fetus.

While some argue that mothers desperately seeking abortions are the root of the problem, the investigation found that many of those undergoing the procedure are minors who discovered their pregnancies late and had nowhere to turn for help. These minors were found to raise the funds through illegal loan sharks or part-time jobs.

One underage informant stirred sympathy by sharing that she had looked into various ways to give birth, but decided on an abortion after concluding that it would be impossible to give birth and raise a child alone.

Kwon also said that she initially thought viewers would comfort her, but later realized her actions were wrong following the controversy and began to reflect. "If I could go back two years, I wouldn't have had the surgery," she said, adding that the outcome might have been different if even a single person had tried to persuade and support her back then.


An expert remarked regarding Kwon, "She appears to have been emotionally unable to cope with the various aspects surrounding childbirth. Many mothers carry to full term under pregnancy concealment or denial, and in such extreme traumatic situations, judgment itself collapses. It is a psychiatric emergency."

Prosecutors indicted the mother, Kwon, on murder charges. An appellate court acquitted her of murder, ruling that there was no intent to kill, prompting the prosecution to file an appeal.

An expert defined the 36-week abortion vlog as "the greatest harm caused by a legislative vacuum," noting, "Because the state failed to set clear standards, neither the fetus nor the woman was protected. Had a law been enacted, an abortion on a 36-week baby could not have occurred."

In fact, following the abolition of the abortion law, a seven-year legislative vacuum has persisted without alternative legislation. In political circles, the rationale given was, "It is an issue that is difficult to reach a social consensus on. It is a problem where compromise is difficult due to conflicting interests."

However, a legal expert raised their voice, drawing attention by stating, "Saying that social consensus is difficult is merely an abstract excuse. There has been no process of deliberation whatsoever. Leaving deeper dialogue stalled is the responsibility of the state."


An obstetrician also emphasized, "The fact that women's health and fetal safety remain unprotected by law and pushed outside legal boundaries in our country is a deeply shameful reality. It must be improved one way or another."

Finally, the broadcast stated that the program was produced with the hope that "cruelly taking the lives of fetuses born alive into the world will not be repeated, mothers contemplating abortion will not face one-sided condemnation as irresponsible, and the lives and safety of mothers and fetuses will not be traded as a means of profit in a lawless zone."

The episode concluded with an urgent call that reaching a social consensus on medical ethics and legal standards can no longer be delayed.

(Editor Kim Hyo-jung)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.