The South Korean government will launch public discussion on setting policy direction regarding single parenthood and access to reproductive assistance.

Such a plan was included in the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family's five-year family support strategy approved by the Cabinet on Tuesday.

The topic of choosing single parenthood drew attention late last year, after Sayuri Fujita, a well-known Japanese television personality in South Korea, gave birth after undergoing artificial insemination utilizing a donation from an overseas sperm bank.

In South Korea, only married couples can seek reproductive assistance at such facilities.

The government plans to review policies on support for assisted reproductive procedures for unmarried people, starting with a public survey on bioethics. Officials will also look into improving guidelines for embryo clinics.

The government will also legally and systematically support single mothers who give birth at home or elsewhere outside a medical facility to register their baby's birth.

A system will also be adopted where every medical facility will be required to report all births.