Jeonjangeon insists on 'one-on-one meeting' despite Seoul City's final ultimatum

Press Conference at Hyehwa Station on the 18th
Seoul City Proposes Private and Joint Meetings
If Talks Fail... Escalation of Struggle Level

The Seoul Metropolitan Government proposed a final dialogue to the National Solidarity Against Disability Discrimination (Jeonjangyeon), but the gap remains unresolved. Jeonjangyeon stated that Seoul City practically has no intention to engage in dialogue and warned that if a one-on-one meeting does not take place, they will escalate their protest actions again.

On the 18th, Jeonjangyeon held a press conference titled "Statement on Seoul City's Proposal for Jeonjangyeon's Participation in Dialogue" around 8 a.m. at Hyehwa Station of the Seoul subway. The press conference was attended not only by disability activists but also by religious and student groups such as the Methodist National Countermeasure Conference and Sogang University human rights club Nogo Jiri. The demonstration that day proceeded without causing any subway delays, with slogans and songs being chanted.

The National Solidarity for the Elimination of Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities held a press conference at around 8 a.m. on the 18th at Hyehwa Station of the Seoul Subway to announce their position on Seoul City's proposal to participate in a meeting with Jeonjangyeon. / Photo by Gong Byung-seon mydillon@

Jeonjangyeon claimed that the responsibility for the failure to hold dialogue lies with Seoul City. Park Kyung-seok, co-executive representative of Jeonjangyeon, said, "Seoul City demands a joint meeting but instead of solving the problem, they criticize Jeonjangyeon or suggest holding a meeting with other disability organizations that have different positions." He added, "Originally, we agreed to discuss court mediation with Seoul Metro and issues related to the mobility rights of persons with disabilities, but Seoul City brought up the deinstitutionalization issue, which has conflicting opinions among various groups." Furthermore, he stated, "The struggle began because the Ministry of Economy and Finance did not guarantee the disability rights budget, but there has been no response regarding whether Ministry officials will attend the meeting," and urged, "We call for confirming through dialogue what should be addressed first and resolving it together."

The previous day, Seoul City announced through a press release that it had proposed a final meeting to Jeonjangyeon. Seoul City added that it prefers the meeting to be held privately while allowing other disability organizations to participate. The city explained that this approach was chosen to hear diverse voices of persons with disabilities on deinstitutionalization, one of the main agenda items. Seoul City and Jeonjangyeon have held five rounds of consultations since the 4th, but disagreements have continued. Jeonjangyeon retreated from a public meeting to a private one but maintains that it cannot concede to a one-on-one meeting.

Jeonjangyeon plans to observe the results of the dialogue until 4 p.m. the following day and decide on the level of protest accordingly. Representative Park said, "On the 20th, we plan to hold a memorial ceremony related to the death caused by a fall from a disability lift at Oido Station on Line 4 of the metropolitan subway," and added, "If dialogue with Seoul City does not occur, it could lead to strong actions such as subway delays." If Jeonjangyeon escalates its protest and resumes subway delay demonstrations on the 20th, traffic disruptions will be inevitable. Moreover, with the Lunar New Year holiday approaching, the chaos is expected to worsen.

Meanwhile, Jeonjangyeon announced that it will file a complaint with the National Human Rights Commission against Seoul Metro on the same day. The reason for the complaint is that during the subway delay protests, Seoul Metro stigmatized Jeonjangyeon as an illegal protest group through announcements. Lee Hyung-sook, co-executive representative of Jeonjangyeon, claimed, "The police and Seoul Metro prevented subway boarding for five hours simply because we were conducting subway delay protests," and asserted, "We will ensure that Seoul Metro and the police are held accountable."