The Ministry of Health and Welfare noted on the 7th that among the 2,720 children born between January 2010 and July 2024 who had not been registered, 37 were found to be deceased. There are 828 children whose whereabouts remain unconfirmed. The ministry has reported to the police to investigate potential criminal charges related to this matter.
On this day, the ministry announced the results of the "administrative investigation of children with temporary management numbers." A temporary management number is a number issued in limited circumstances by public health centers for children who are subject to vaccination and do not have a resident registration number due to delayed birth registration.
According to the investigation, the survival of 1,706 children (1,293 with completed birth registration, 166 with pending registration, and 247 with overseas birth registration) was confirmed. The number of deceased children was 37. Administrative errors involving namesakes accounted for 86 cases.
The survival of 828 children remains unconfirmed. Factors that made it difficult to ascertain their survival include loss of contact and refusal of visitation (209), abandonment in baby boxes (30), adoption without birth registration (8), denial of temporary management number (21), and others (560) who were protected in facilities that are now closed.
During the investigation, there were 10 reported cases of suspected child abuse. There were 67 cases linked to welfare services for child-rearing, and 142 cases of support for implementing birth registration. For example, in cases where birth registration could not be completed due to marital issues, the ministry stated it facilitated consultations with the Legal Aid Corporation. Lee Gi-il, First Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare, said, "We will prevent blind spots in child protection."