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Is sex selection illegal in South Korea?

Yes. Sex selection is banned in South Korea. Telling parents the sex became legal in 2024 - picking it did not.

Bioethics and Safety Act art. 23(2)(1) bans creating or fertilising embryos to select a particular sex, save narrow genetic-disease cases (Financial News, 29 Jun 2025). Separate: the Constitutional Court struck down the Medical Service Act ban on telling parents the fetal sex (28 Feb 2024).

Source: Bioethics Act art. 23(2)

• South Korea is one of 50 countries where sex selection is banned, and 9 more restrict it.
• Its neighbours: banned in 0 of 1.
• In Asia: banned in 11 of 46 countries.

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Other countries that ban sex selection

San MarinoIcelandMoldovaMontenegroNorth MacedoniaAlbaniaBosnia & HerzegovinaSerbiaArmeniaGeorgiaCyprusLatviaLithuaniaEstoniaAll 50 on the map ›

What else is banned in South Korea