SEOUL, June 29 -- A doctor has been arrested and charged with murder in South Korea after a nine-month pregnancy was terminated and the baby, allegedly born alive, was left to die - a case that has reignited debate over the country's vague abortion laws.

The Korea Times reported today that Judge Park Jeong-ho of the Seoul Central District Court approved arrest warrants yesterday for the surgeon, surnamed Shim, and the clinic head, Yoon, over their roles in what prosecutors say was a live birth followed by fatal neglect.

Investigators said evidence showed the baby was alive "before and after" the procedure, which took place at 36 weeks - the full-term mark - and that the same clinic had performed hundreds of abortions on other women.

Th...