{"id":2200067,"date":"2023-02-15T09:18:07","date_gmt":"2023-02-15T09:18:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nknews.org\/koreapro\/?p=2200067"},"modified":"2023-04-05T16:09:44","modified_gmt":"2023-04-05T07:09:44","slug":"the-ongoing-battle-between-seoul-and-disabled-citizens-over-better-metro-access","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2023\/02\/the-ongoing-battle-between-seoul-and-disabled-citizens-over-better-metro-access\/","title":{"rendered":"The ongoing battle between Seoul and disabled citizens over better metro access"},"content":{"rendered":"
Many of South Korea\u2019s <\/span>disabled people<\/span><\/a> have staged <\/span>protests<\/span><\/a> at some of Seoul\u2019s busiest underground metro stations since late 2021. They have called for more significant financing for mobility provisions, such as installing elevators in all metro stations and increasing the number of low-floor buses to make them more accessible for wheelchair users.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n But some prominent members of the ruling People Power Party (PPP) have shown little sympathy for the activists\u2019 cause, referring some of them to <\/span>prosecutors<\/span><\/a> for delaying subway service during peak hours.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The government says budget constraints make it difficult to upgrade public transportation in the way protestors want, and with neither side backing down, the struggle for disabled South Koreans is likely to continue and even intensify for the foreseeable future.<\/span><\/p>\n FIGHTING FOR EQUAL RIGHTS<\/b><\/p>\n The issue of disability rights in South Korea is significant. According to the ROK\u2019s National Human Right Commission, the <\/span>most common cause<\/span><\/a> for filing a complaint in 2020 was disability discrimination, which amounted to about 28% of cases. A close second was sexual harassment, which was 24.3%.<\/span><\/p>\n To demand better mobility provisions in public transportation facilities, Solidarity Against Disability Discrimination (SADD) \u2014 a disability advocacy group \u2014 increased the frequency of their <\/span>protests<\/span><\/a> at metro stations across the capital. SADD activists say the problem runs <\/span>deeper<\/span><\/a> than the lack of infrastructure and reflects a discriminatory attitude toward non-able-bodied people throughout society.<\/span><\/p>\n Activists were hopeful when the Moon Jae-in administration <\/span>passed<\/span><\/a> a law to increase disabled people\u2019s access to public transit in Dec. 2021. But their hope turned to disappointment when they discovered the bill littered with loopholes.<\/span><\/p>\n While the law required all city and rural buses to be wheelchair-accessible, it <\/span>exempted<\/span><\/a> intercity buses. A provision to allocate funds for special transit means also turned out to be recommendations, which <\/span>meant<\/span><\/a> local governments could withhold the money if they chose to do so.<\/span><\/p>\n Under the Yoon administration, the government <\/span>increased<\/span><\/a> the budget for disability rights by only $8.2 million (10.6 billion won), even though the ruling and opposition parties initially agreed to increase the funding by $508 million (650 billion won).<\/span><\/p>\n