Successful Solo Meeting at Seoul City Hall
"Citizens' Patience Has Reached Its Limit"
"Intentional Division and Hate Promotion"
[Asia Economy Reporter Kiho Sung] Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon and the National Solidarity for the Elimination of Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities (Jeonjangyeon) held a one-on-one meeting. However, throughout the meeting, they only confirmed their differences in positions, and no promises such as stopping the protests were made.
Both sides met at Seoul City Hall on the 2nd. Even before the meeting, they continued sharp exchanges criticizing each other, and repeated the same positions on the day.
Mayor Oh Se-hoon and Park Kyung-seok, the representative of the National Solidarity for the Elimination of Disability Discrimination, are greeting each other after a meeting at Seoul City Hall on the 2nd. Photo by Yonhap News
Mayor Oh met with Jeonjangyeon representative Park Kyung-seok and said, "You have committed a serious crime by violating the Railroad Safety Act by delaying the subway operation 84 times," and requested, "Please refrain from protests that stop or delay the subway any further."
He pointed out, "Public opinion about Jeonjangyeon's protest style is gradually turning negative, and Jeonjangyeon must be feeling it too," adding, "The patience of the citizens has reached its limit."
Mayor Oh emphasized, "Seoul City knows well what Jeonjangyeon wants. Seoul citizens also understand it," and urged, "Please refrain from extreme forms of protests any longer."
However, Jeonjangyeon expressed a completely different stance. Representative Park said, "The death of a disabled person last year while riding an escalator on Line 9 is Seoul City's management responsibility," and pointed out, "We asked Seoul City to apologize, but Seoul City did not apologize." He continued, "This is the result of the state treating the death of a disabled person as insignificant," and emphasized, "The claim that citizens were taken hostage is a deliberate divide-and-conquer tactic and incites hatred."
Representative Park appealed, "The Ministry of Economy and Finance must allocate the budget responsibly, and the state must take responsibility," and requested, "Seoul City should step forward and ask the Ministry of Economy and Finance."
In response, Mayor Oh said, "I sincerely want to guarantee the right of movement without inconvenience for disabled people," and repeatedly emphasized, "But please stop stopping the subway to achieve your goals."
After the meeting, Representative Park told reporters, "We will carefully review the content of today's meeting after returning," and added, "There is a planned publicity campaign at Hyehwa Station at 8 a.m. tomorrow, and whether we will hold a boarding protest will be announced at that location."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
