Hiring of Dedicated Sign Language Interpreter Lowers Barriers to National Affairs Participation for People with Hearing and Speech Disabilities
Applied Starting with Joint Press Statement by President Lee Jaemyung and General Secretary To Lam of Vietnam
The Office of the President announced on August 11 that sign language interpretation support for presidential briefings began with the joint press statement by President Lee Jaemyung and General Secretary To Lam of the Communist Party of Vietnam.
The sign language interpretation service for presidential briefings is intended to guarantee information accessibility for people with hearing and speech disabilities, as well as to enhance social integration and the transparency of national administration. For the first time in the history of Korean administrations, a dedicated sign language interpreter has been hired by the Office of the President to provide exclusive interpretation services, with the aim of lowering the barriers to participation in national affairs for people with hearing and speech disabilities.
The Office of the President will provide simultaneous sign language interpretation for all briefings held in the briefing room and plans to gradually expand the scope of interpretation to major events in the future.
Sign language interpretation has been increasingly applied since the enactment of the Korean Sign Language Act on February 3, 2016, which recognized Korean Sign Language as an official language with equal status to Korean and as the unique language of the deaf community. The goal has been to improve the quality of life for the deaf and to increase their participation in social activities.
However, 62.9% of respondents consider public institutions as areas where sign language interpretation is most needed, and 86.8% believe that expanding the deployment of sign language interpreters in public, financial, and medical institutions is the most crucial area for government support in facilitating communication. This highlights the urgent need for government-level support.
The Office of the President stated, "We expect that providing sign language interpretation for briefings will further improve information accessibility for people with hearing and speech disabilities and enhance the transparency of national administration. We will make every effort to ensure that not a single citizen of the Republic of Korea, including those who use sign language as their primary language, is left behind or inconvenienced in our society."
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