[Power K-Women] Kim Yeji "There Is No Perfect Country... I Will Be a Comrade Struggling Together"

First Female Visually Impaired Lawmaker in Constitutional History
Most Documents Not Available in Braille, Causing Difficulties
Bill to Mandate Braille Provision When Requested in Public Sector
Braille Labeling Also Required on Over-the-Counter Medicines
Pharmacist Act Amendment Passed

Editor's NoteAsia Economy will select women who are active not only in Asia but around the world as 'Power K-Women' at the upcoming Women Leaders Forum to be held this October. We have chosen individuals who have overcome and broken down barriers such as race, borders, and disabilities as 'Power K-Women.' The purpose is to widely promote the value of those who have stood up and fought without being intimidated by discrimination or confined by boundaries, thereby delivering new values of leadership to youth and women. Their stories will provide comfort to a weary world, become role models for someone, and give the community the strength to move forward again.
Date ｜ Wednesday, October 19, 2022, 9:00 AM ? 5:20 PM
Venue ｜ Crystal Ballroom, Lotte Hotel, Sogong-dong (2F)

Without having learned from anyone, she listened to a lot of music and taught herself to play by imitating it on the piano. She was very interested, but since she didn’t have much time to go out and play, she treated the piano like a toy at home and regarded playing it as both a hobby and part of her daily life. She didn’t particularly think, “It has to be the piano,” but since it was what she liked most and played the most, she chose piano as her major.

She never thought about going into politics. While teaching students at university, she was also living the life of a pianist. Then, she received a contact from a party leader. She expected they might be recruiting performers for a National Assembly event, but unexpectedly, she was told they wanted to ‘recruit talent.’ At that moment, she wondered, “Is this really the right thing for me to do?” and was offered to voice diverse perspectives not just as a person with a disability but also as a young woman and an artist. She thought that if she became a proportional representative, she would no longer be just someone trying to propose policies but someone who could actually do something. She decided it would be good to give it a try. More than two years have passed since the 21st National Assembly began. During that time, Representative Kim Ye-ji of the People Power Party has actively engaged in legislative activities, proposing a total of 132 bills. As a visually impaired woman and pianist, Representative Kim has served as a member of the Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee, actively proposing not only disability-related bills but also bills related to women and the arts.

There was no sign of fatigue when Representative Kim, who recently returned from Switzerland, was interviewed. She participated as part of the National Assembly delegation at the review meeting of the State Report on the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities held at the United Nations Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, on September 24-25. Representative Kim attended as the representative who had introduced a resolution urging the ratification of the Optional Protocol to ensure the effective implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

While in Switzerland, Representative Kim visited the World Health Organization (WHO), International Labour Organization (ILO), and World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and held meetings with disability policy officials. She said, “During the meetings, I realized not just in thought but truly that I could do this and that’s why I came here in person. It was a rewarding business trip because I could observe the process firsthand.”

As the first female visually impaired lawmaker in the history of the National Assembly, she faced difficulties in her legislative activities. One of the most talked-about issues early in her term was the controversy surrounding her guide dog, ‘Joy.’ “There was never a case where (Joy) was denied entry or stopped. Some reports were somewhat distorted. However, because of the controversy and the media coverage, awareness about guide dogs actually improved.”

Kim Ye-ji, member of the People Power Party (fourth from the right), and Jang Hye-young, member of the Justice Party, are greeting each other on the platform after participating in the protest "Taking the Subway on the Way to Work" on March 28 at Chungmuro Station on Line 3 in Jung-gu, Seoul. The protest was organized by the National Solidarity for the Elimination of Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities (Jeonjangyeon) and civic groups, demanding the guarantee of mobility rights for persons with disabilities and the inclusion of disability rights budgets. 2022.3.28 [Joint Coverage] [Image Source=Yonhap News]

Representative Kim said she had been conducting campaigns and various activities to improve awareness of guide dogs for about 20 years but had received little attention. She also expressed discouragement that years of ‘moderate’ activities were not as effective as a single ‘controversy.’

Braille transcription (converting spoken or regular text into braille) was also a barrier. Since most documents were not in braille, Representative Kim found it difficult to carry out her legislative work easily. Rather than blaming the treatment, she worked to improve it. She proposed a bill that, when braille is requested in the public sector, not only obligates provision but also mandates proof that it was provided. “Now, at least in the standing committee I belong to, braille materials such as speech documents and work report statuses for important meetings are printed and provided. The situation has improved significantly as the bill revision to reconsider braille provision was enacted.”

As accessibility increases, social participation of persons with disabilities can be encouraged. Representative Kim said, “I believe there is no country where everything is perfectly equipped,” but “overseas, there is a more open mindset about what support is needed for these individuals, and the obligation to provide necessary materials is more actively enforced.” She added, “That’s why you see people working in companies like securities analysts, NASA, and Google.”

The legislative direction Representative Kim pursues is also focused on ‘access rights.’ “There can be physical access to buildings, but I also believe there is access to the government. In the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, where information is increasingly important, I think it is my duty to establish legal grounds for parts that could be marginalized. I will continue to prepare legislative and policy alternatives in that direction during the remainder of my term.”

Kim Ye-ji, Member of the People Power Party. Photo by Yoon Dong-ju doso7@

Representative Kim is working on measures to consider diversity from the research and development stage rather than reviewing it only after prototyping. She said, “As technology advances, it seems like ‘everyone’ is being overlooked,” and “I believe future technology should be about ‘not creating people who cannot use it’ rather than ‘people who can use it, use it.’”

The amendment to the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act is one of the bills Representative Kim counts among her achievements. The partial amendment to the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act, passed by the National Assembly last year, mandates that safety over-the-counter drugs, which can be easily purchased at convenience stores, display braille or braille and voice conversion codes. Representative Kim explained, “When visually or hearing-impaired people become parents with infants, medication guidance can be difficult. Although concerns were raised about the burden on small pharmaceutical companies, we held meetings with the Pharmaceutical Bio Association, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, and the Ministry of Health and Welfare, and reached a consensus on the necessity. Meanwhile, Representative Choi Hye-young of the Democratic Party also introduced an amendment, and through joint efforts, it was passed.”

What surprised Representative Kim even more after the bill’s passage was that although there were two years left until the law’s enforcement, pharmaceutical companies voluntarily released products with braille in advance. Some foods, such as cup noodles, also came out with braille printed on them. She said, "Changing the law itself is important, but raising awareness of the issues and gaining empathy is also really important."

Empathy is the starting point for problem-solving in Representative Kim’s view. This year, she kneeled and apologized at a subway protest organized by the National Solidarity for the Elimination of Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities, which became a major topic. She said, “It’s a busy world, and with COVID-19 and economic difficulties, people might think how much disruption it causes. However, when someone influential speaks, it carries greater weight, so I had to go.” She emphasized, “It’s not something that can be solved by the legislative branch alone; the legislative, executive, and judicial branches, and even citizens, must build consensus. I looked back and thought efforts were insufficient so far.” She added, “In the past, I would have been one of those who should have protested there, but now I hold the key to solving the problem. Although my presence there alone cannot solve the problem, I think it provided an opportunity for us to think once more.”

Politician Kim Ye-ji conveyed to persons with disabilities, youth, and women that “My life is the same as yours, so I want to be a comrade struggling alongside you.” She said, “I have never thought I am different from them. I am not someone who effectively does what can be done but someone who tries to make the impossible possible. I didn’t look for things I could do in the past two years but always worked with the mindset that I had to do things that seemed impossible. I understand that these days are very difficult and empathy is hard to come by. I hope there will be more opportunities for those who consider politics their profession to empathize. Even if I am no longer in the National Assembly, I will continue to do things?whether words, music, or writing?with comradeship, albeit slowly, to bring about change. I hope we can all stay strong together.”

◆Profile of Representative Kim Ye-ji

▲Born 1980 ▲March 1987?February 1999 National Seoul School for the Blind (elementary, middle, high school) ▲March 2000?February 2004 Sookmyung Women’s University Bachelor’s Degree (Piano) ▲March 2004?February 2007 Sookmyung Women’s University Graduate School of Education Master’s Degree (Music Education) ▲September 2007?May 2009 Johns Hopkins University Peabody Conservatory Graduate School Master’s Degree ▲September 2010?May 2014 University of Wisconsin-Madison Graduate School Doctorate ▲May 2020? Present 21st National Assembly Member (Proportional Representative / People Power Party)