South Korea is mulling amendments that would allow unwed singles to legally adopt children.

The Ministry of Justice made the announcement while unveiling the results of an August 31 meeting of its task-force on legal adjustments to reflect a surge in single-person households in the country.

The ministry is considering changing the civil code so that an unmarried person can adopt a child, provided they meet requirements. Currently, only married couples under a mutual agreement can legally adopt children.

The task force reached a consensus that unmarried people, who are capable of raising children on their own, should be allowed to adopt, provided they pass a rigorous court review.

Single-person households were the most common type of living arrangement in South Korea, accounting for 31.7% of the total in 2020.