Mayor Lee Yong-seop: "Building a Warm Gwangju Community Where Disability Does Not Hinder Happiness"

Gwangju City Holds the 41st Disabled Persons' Day Ceremony at DJ Center

Lee Yong-seop, Mayor of Gwangju Metropolitan City, is delivering an encouragement speech at the '41st Disability Day Ceremony' held on the afternoon of the 20th at the Kim Dae-jung Convention Center in Seo-gu. Photo by Gwangju Metropolitan City

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Seon-gang] Gwangju Metropolitan City and the Gwangju Disabled Persons’ Federation held the 41st Disabled Persons’ Day commemorative ceremony on the afternoon of the 20th at the Kim Dae-jung Convention Center.

Following the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s slogan, “Walking the same path, finding the way together,” Gwangju City hosted the event for the first time to reflect on the purpose of establishing Disabled Persons’ Day and to highlight interest in people with disabilities, as the event had previously been led by the private sector.

The commemorative ceremony was held with the attendance of Mayor Lee Yong-seop, City Council Chairman Kim Yong-jip, Superintendent of Education Jang Hwi-guk, city council members, and disability organizations. The program included a commemorative performance, awards for meritorious persons, a mayor’s encouragement speech, the launch ceremony of the 420 Smart Promotion Team, and the presentation of sponsorship funds.

The commemorative performance featured a pre-ceremony performance by three disabled singers?Jin I-rang, Choi Jin-guk, and Park Cheol-hong, a former Jeonnam Provincial Assembly member?and a performance by four artists from the Disabled Artists Association accompanied by pianist Kim Jeong-an.

Following this, awards were presented to 25 meritorious persons who contributed to the promotion of welfare for people with disabilities, along with three merit plaques, three appreciation plaques, and one appointment plaque.

In addition to the awards given that day, Kang Kyung-sik, Executive Director of the Disabled Policy Solidarity and a person with a severe physical disability, was honored with the government’s 41st Disabled Persons’ Day National Medal in recognition of his contributions to building a barrier-free urban environment where both disabled and non-disabled people can be happy, as well as his efforts to improve human rights and welfare for people with disabilities.

Notably, this year’s ceremony saw the official launch of the “420 Smart Promotion Team” in response to changes brought about by the non-face-to-face era due to COVID-19.

The promotion team consists of about 100 members, including city officials and workers from disability organizations and facilities. They will build a two-way communication system by sharing various information in real time via social networking services (SNS), such as disability policies, activities of organizations and facilities, and promotional materials aimed at improving awareness of disabilities, ensuring that no citizen misses out on benefits due to lack of information.

Jin Geon, Chairman of the Gwangju Disabled Persons’ Federation, said, “The Disabled Persons’ Federation will take the lead and work tirelessly to create a world without distinction between disabled and non-disabled people, a society free from discrimination caused by disabilities, and a society where human rights and equality breathe.”

Mayor Lee Yong-seop stated, “Gwangju is the first city in the country to open a Converged Care Center for people with severe developmental disabilities that provides 24/7 one-on-one care throughout the year. We are accelerating the expansion of customized welfare infrastructure such as the Disabled Persons’ Hall, training facilities, and welfare centers,” adding, “We will build a warm and equal Gwangju community so that disabilities do not become obstacles to your happy lives.”

Meanwhile, as of the end of last month, the number of registered persons with disabilities in Gwangju was 69,861, accounting for about 4.8% of the city’s total population of 1,445,473.