Democratic Party Rep. Choi Hye-young "Anger at Police's Perception of Disabled People"
On the 27th, the National Solidarity Against Disability Discrimination (Jeonjangyeon) and Democratic Party lawmakers condemned the remarks of Kim Gwang-ho, Commissioner of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, and visited the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency to protest. From the left, Choi Hye-young, Democratic Party lawmaker, Park Kyung-seok, co-representative of Jeonjangyeon / Photo by Gong Byung-seon mydillon@
[Asia Economy Reporter Gong Byung-sun] The National Solidarity Against Disability Discrimination (Jeonjangyeon) and lawmakers from the Democratic Party of Korea have called for an apology from Kim Kwang-ho, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency Commissioner, who vowed to crack down on subway delay protests.
On the 27th, Jeonjangyeon held a subway delay protest moving from Hyehwa Station on Line 4 to Gyeongbokgung Station on Line 3 in Seoul. On this day, there was no door-blocking disembarkation protest that would have caused delays in subway operations.
Democratic Party lawmakers also attended the rally. Lawmakers Choi Hye-young, Kang Min-jung, Kim Young-ho, and Oh Young-hwan, along with Jeonjangyeon co-representative Park Kyung-seok, urged Commissioner Kim for a meeting and an apology.
Co-representative Park said, "This protest was held to condemn the reckless remarks of the newly appointed Seoul Police Commissioner and to demand an apology," adding, "We will ask Commissioner Kim whether we are the ones to be strictly dealt with or if we are targets of heinous crimes, even if we have to chase him to the ends of the earth."
On the 20th, at his first press conference after taking office, Commissioner Kim referred to Jeonjangyeon's protests as "a situation where the people's feet are being tied to enforce their will," and stated, "Illegal acts will be pursued and prosecuted to the ends of the earth." In response, Jeonjangyeon and other disability rights organizations opposed his remarks, saying they do not guarantee the freedom of assembly and protest.
Democratic Party lawmakers also supported Jeonjangyeon's voice. Lawmaker Choi, who participated in the subway boarding protest with Jeonjangyeon that day, said, "I was shocked and angered by the police's perception of people with disabilities," and added, "It seems they do not understand the mobility rights of the disabled."
Co-representative Park and the lawmakers attempted to enter the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency to request a meeting with Commissioner Kim but were blocked by the police. Instead, they submitted a letter requesting an apology and a meeting with Commissioner Kim to a Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency official. During this process, the official said, "We guarantee the freedom of assembly and protest, but we will strictly handle cases that cause inconvenience to citizens during commuting hours," which led to objections from Co-representative Park and the lawmakers.
Meanwhile, Jeonjangyeon plans to attend a meeting with the Ministry of Economy and Finance on the 29th to reflect the budget for disability rights in the 2023 fiscal year. They announced that they will suspend subway delay protests until results are achieved through the meeting. Instead, starting from the 28th, they plan to hold a head-shaving protest at Samgakji Station in Seoul.
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