South Korea abortion ban is unconstitutional, top court rules

SEOUL, South Korea - South Korea's Constitutional Court ruled Thursday that the country's 65-year-old ban on abortion was unconstitutional, clearing the way for the practice to be legalized for the first time in the nation's history.

The ruling will mean the end of long-standing but little enforced criminal laws under which abortion was punishable by up to a year in prison for women who undergo the procedure, and up to two years for medical providers. Seven of nine justices found