Mother's surname at birth? Bill aims to shift Korea's family-name deadline

A group of ruling Democratic Party of Korea lawmakers introduced a bill to let married couples choose the mother’s surname for a child at birth registration instead of only at marriage registration. The amendment to Article 781 of the Civil Act, proposed by Rep. Park Ju-min and 14 other DPK lawmakers, would expand the timing for that choice while keeping the father’s surname as the default. The lawmakers said the change would better reflect the gap between marriage and childbirth and support gender equality in family life.

The bill was proposed last week by Rep. Park Ju-min and 14 other Democratic Party of Korea lawmakers.

It would amend Article 781 of the Civil Act.

Under the current law, parents can use the mother’s surname only if they declare that intention when registering their marriage.

The proposal would still keep the father’s surname as the default if no other choice is made.

Published Sep 6, 2026 2:32 pm KST

Updated Sep 6, 2026 3:55 pm KST

A nurse holds a newborn baby at the neonatal nursery of CHA Medical Center in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, Aug. 26. Newsis

A group of legislators of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) introduced a bill that would permit married couples to decide whether their child takes the mother’s surname at the time of birth registration, instead of when the marriage is registered.

The amendment to Article 781 of the Civil Act, proposed last week by Rep. Park Ju-min and 14 other DPK lawmakers, would expand the time during which parents may agree to give a child the mother’s surname.

Under the current law, in principle, children receive their father’s surname automatically. Parents are allowed to use the mother’s surname for their children only if they declare their intention to do so when registering their marriage. This means that couples are asked to make a decision about the surname of a future child before they may know if or when they will have any children.

The bill would retain the assumption of paternal surname if otherwise unspecified, but allow parents to decide to use the maternal family name either when registering their marriage or when reporting the child’s birth.

“There can be a considerable interval between the registration of a marriage and the birth of a child. At the time of marriage registration, it may not yet be known whether the couple will have a child or when the child will be born,” the lawmakers said in the proposal.

The bill is intended to ensure parents have a choice while more fully realizing the constitutional principle of gender equality in marriage and family life, they added.

However, the proposal stops short of abolishing the default rule that children take their father’s surname.

Opposition to the automatic use of the father's surname was previously taken up during the liberal Moon Jae-in administration. In 2021, the government’s Fourth Basic Plan for Healthy Families said it would pursue a revision that would replace the father-surname principle with a system based on parental agreement.

The reform, however, did not result in a legislative revision. After the election of Yoon Suk Yeol, the Ministry of Justice reversed course, telling the Constitutional Court in 2022 that the existing rule did not infringe on constitutional rights. It cited concerns about siblings having different surnames and the traditional significance of names within families. The ministry also said that further discussion and broader social consensus were needed before pursuing legislative reform.

韩国执政党共同民主党的一群议员提出一项法案，允许已婚夫妇在子女出生登记时选择母亲的姓氏，而不再局限于结婚登记时。这项由朴柱珉议员和其他14名共同民主党议员提出的《民法》第781条修正案，将延长选择子女姓氏的时间，同时保留父亲姓氏作为默认姓氏。议员们表示，这项修改将更好地反映婚姻和生育之间的时间差，并支持家庭生活中的性别平等。

该法案由朴柱民议员和其他14名韩国民主党议员于上周提出。

这将修改《民法》第781条。

根据现行法律，父母只有在登记结婚时声明该意愿，才能使用母亲的姓氏。

如果没有其他选择，该提案仍将保留父亲的姓氏作为默认值。

发布于2026年9月6日下午2:32（韩国标准时间）

更新于2026年9月6日下午3:55（韩国标准时间）

8月26日，在京畿道高阳市CHA医疗中心的新生儿病房，一名护士抱着一名新生儿。（图片来源：Newsis）

韩国执政党共同民主党的一群议员提出了一项法案，允许已婚夫妇在孩子出生登记时决定孩子是否随母姓，而不是在结婚登记时决定。

上周，朴柱民议员和其他 14 名民主党议员提议修改《民事法》第 781 条，以延长父母同意让孩子随母姓的时间。

根据现行法律，原则上子女自动随父姓。父母只有在结婚登记时明确表示意愿，才能让子女随母姓。这意味着，夫妻双方在确定是否生育子女或何时生育之前，就需要决定未来子女的姓氏。

该法案规定，除非另有规定，否则将保留使用父姓的做法，但允许父母在登记结婚或报告孩子出生时决定使用母姓。

“结婚登记和孩子出生之间可能存在相当长的时间间隔。在结婚登记时，可能还不知道这对夫妇是否会生孩子，也不知道孩子何时出生，”议员们在提案中表示。

他们补充说，该法案旨在确保父母拥有选择权，同时更充分地实现婚姻和家庭生活中性别平等的宪法原则。

然而，该提案并未废除子女默认随父姓的规则。

此前，在文在寅执政时期，就有人反对自动沿用父亲的姓氏。2021年，政府发布的《第四个健康家庭基本计划》表示，将对这一制度进行修订，以父母双方同意为基础，取代父亲姓氏的原则。

然而，这项改革并未促成立法修订。尹锡烈当选后，司法部改变了立场，于2022年向宪法法院表示，现行规定并未侵犯宪法权利。司法部援引了兄弟姐妹姓氏不同的担忧，以及姓氏在家族中具有传统意义的问题。司法部还表示，在推进立法改革之前，需要进行进一步讨论并达成更广泛的社会共识。