State audit shows over 2,000 babies unregistered in S. Korea after birth since 2015

The Board of Audit and Inspection (BAI) also said it is considering launching an investigation to check the well-being of all 2,236 babies that were born between 2015 and 2022 but did not have birth registration despite having birth records.

By region, over half, or 1,263, were from the greater Seoul area, including Gyeonggi Province and Incheon.

Two of the unregistered babies were found dead early this week inside a refrigerator in Suwon, south of Seoul, and their mother was taken into custody for investigation. The BAI said another baby born in 2022 was also found to have died from undernutrition in the southern city of Changwon.

In addition, the whereabouts of another baby born in 2021 is unknown in the central city of Hwaseong, and the mother told police she handed over the baby to someone she does not know.

«As serious cases were found in the 1 percent sample investigation, we're considering whether to check the entirety,» a BAI official said.