Activists from the Solidarity Against Disability Discrimination (SADD), who had been arrested after hanging a large banner demanding the protection of disability rights at the Yeongchumun Gate of Gyeongbokgung Palace, were released on July 26.
According to the police and Jeonjangyeon on the 25th, three activists from Jeonjangyeon climbed up over Yeongchumun Gate of Gyeongbokgung Palace in Jongno-gu, Seoul, around 12:20 p.m. that day and hung a large banner with the slogan "Expand Customized Public Jobs for Severe Disabilities Centered on Rights." The banner has now been completely removed. Yonhap News
According to the police and SADD, three SADD activists were released in the afternoon of the same day from Seongbuk Police Station in Seoul.
The activists had been arrested at around 12:20 p.m. the previous day as they climbed atop Yeongchumun Gate of Gyeongbokgung Palace and hung a large banner with the slogan, "Expand rights-based, customized public jobs for people with severe disabilities," on charges including violation of the Cultural Heritage Protection Act.
They were taken to Jongno Police Station for questioning and were transferred to Seongbuk Police Station later that night.
SADD stated, "Yeongchumun is one of the four gates of Gyeongbokgung Palace and was the only gate that ordinary people were allowed to use during the Joseon Dynasty." The group added, "After the launch of the people's sovereignty government, we climbed Yeongchumun to demand an ordinary life as citizens for people with the most severe disabilities."
SADD has been holding daily campaigns since July 1 around Gyeongbokgung Station and near the Changseong-dong Annex of the Government Seoul Complex, which houses the National Policy Planning Committee, demanding that the protection of disability rights be included as a national policy agenda and that rights-based, customized public jobs for people with severe disabilities be expanded.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
