Legal Businesses' Visually Impaired Massage Therapists Face Threats to Their Livelihoods
As unqualified massage therapists proliferate in the Gwangju area, not only the jobs but also the livelihoods of visually impaired massage therapists are being threatened, prompting calls for countermeasures.
On the 31st, Lee Myung-no, a member of the Gwangju Metropolitan Council (Democratic Party·Seo-gu 3), pointed out the “inadequate supervision and management of visually impaired massage therapists by Gwangju City” during the Welfare and Health Bureau report.
According to Article 82, Paragraph 1 of the Medical Service Act, “anyone who performs massage for profit without being certified as a massage therapist” shall be “subject to imprisonment for up to three years or a fine of up to 30 million won.”
Rep. Lee said, “Instead, legally registered visually impaired massage therapists are inspected as if cracking down on unlicensed businesses during supervision, and workers complain that their working conditions are being infringed upon.”
He continued, “Under the current Medical Service Act, only certified massage therapists can open massage establishments, but due to illegal unqualified massage parlors, the livelihoods and survival rights of visually impaired people are pushed to the brink. Gwangju City claims it has no authority to crack down on unlicensed businesses and shifts responsibility to the police, thereby neglecting the issue.”
He also requested Gwangju City, saying, “According to the service standards set by the city, home care services are provided to all clients, not just those with severe conditions, causing increased workload. Please prepare measures to prioritize home care services for patients with severe paralysis.”
He added, “In focusing on quantitative growth to increase employment in accordance with the Gwangju Disability Employment Act, there has been insufficient consideration of working conditions.”
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