“Solidarity Against Disability Discrimination” is a human rights organization for the disabled. It was established in 2007 and is usually called “Jeon-Jang-Yeon,” an abbreviation. As of 2022, rallies, calls for solidarity, political statements, and anti-discrimination struggles are actively being carried out based on minority political ideology, but some say that the methodology is radical. Since its foundation, it has been protesting mainly against transportation that is inconvenient for people with disabilities, which is called the “fight for the right to move the disabled.” Recently, they have been criticized for causing traffic congestion during morning rush hour as they resume subway boarding protests.

 South Korea is a top 10 world economy, but the budget for the disabled is the least among OECD countries. As the budget for the disabled is small, there are limited ways to support them, and the disabled are complaining about it. Jeon-Jang-Yeon’s demands through subway commuting demonstrations include guaranteeing the budget for the mobility services for the disabled, expanding care services for the disabled, and guaranteeing the right to labor education. Matters that Jeon-Jang-Yeon wants to improve by securing a budget to support activities for the disabled are related to the installation of elevators, increasing the number of low-floor buses, and the right to mobility services for the disabled. In addition, it calls for responsibility and expansion of special transportation costs for the disabled, a supply of 100,000 support houses, and commitment to mobility services for the disabled in Gyeonggi Province. Currently, the budget for supporting activities for the disabled in 2023 is set at 1.7 trillion won this year. In response to the group’s demands, the Ministry of Strategy and Finance said that they cannot increase the budget to meet their requests. Therefore, the protests are expected to continue until the government gives a clear answer.

 Beginning with the demonstration on Seoul Subway Line 5 on December 3, 2021, Jeon-Jang-Yeon’s demonstrations are still underway. They cause train delays by holding protests by surprise and repeatedly getting on and off the subway during work hours on weekdays. It is true that many citizens are complaining of inconvenience as the conspicuous demonstration continues during rush hour. However, despite the fact that disabled groups such as Jeon-Jang-Yeon have strongly insisted on their needs for nearly 20 years, mobility rights, education rights, labor rights, and facility rights for the disabled are not fully guaranteed. Authorities and politicians are the cause of the protests.

 What we should note is that the demonstration of mobility rights for disabled people started quite a long time ago. The demonstration of mobility rights for disabled people has been going on for more than 20 years since January 2001 when an elderly disabled couple who were using a subway station died when the lift crashed. The issue in this case is how the ministries and agencies concerned dealt with the case. Not only did the relevant departments not inform the outside world of the incident at the time, but they also hurriedly cleaned up the scene of the accident and made it difficult to determine the cause. Due to the suspicious response from the department, disabled people got angry and formed the “Union for Mobility Rights for the Disabled” and started demonstrations. However, despite 20 years of fighting, subway lift crashes are continuously occurring. The accidents at Hwaseo subway station in 2008 and Shinji subway station in 2017 were fatal accidents, and more than 10 other injuries were also reported, including broken ribs, a broken skull, a broken eye socket, and a concussion. Due to the subsequent accidents, disabled people are continuing to demonstrate on the subway, demanding the installation of elevators at subway stations and the creation of a special line for disabled people to enter the platform.

 Rather than promising to guarantee the mobility rights of the vulnerable, many media outlets have treated the demonstration by disabled people as a source of inconvenience to citizens commuting by subway and publishing a huge number of articles. Nevertheless, Jeon-Jang-Yeon is fighting even in the face of criticism. If their demands are not accepted, the demonstrations are expected to continue. In response, the government should examine the fundamental reasons behind the demonstrations and address the problems. It is not easy to satisfy everyone and reach an ideal solution in the process of solving the problem. Jeon-Jang-Yeon is demanding the protection of disabled people’s rights through demonstrations during rush hour on the subway, and some people are critical of the efforts. All rights must be equal to each other. It is important to reach an ideal conclusion by communicating with everyone so that they can enjoy equal rights by reflecting minority voices, even if a perfect solution is not realistic. Although this process may not be smooth, it is necessary to come up with a solution as soon as possible to reduce harm to all citizens, whether able-bodied or disabled.

78th Cub Reporter • KIM DA ON • daonda0904@naver.com

78th  Cub Reporter • LEE SU BIN • ded333@kyonggi.ac.kr