I love Seoul's subway. It never fails to bring me to my destination on time. This belief had been firm, until an incident where a specific train did not stop, at certain subway stations, a few days ago.
I was on that train and was very late for an important meeting. I had missed my station by two stops and had to go back the way I came. This made me reflect on the recent "subway riding protests," which I had not paid much attention to.
Since early 2020, according to the timetable, planned in advance, protesters in their wheelchairs have gathered at certain subway stations during the morning rush hour. They boarded in groups, traveled a few stops, and then disembarked, in such a manner so as to deliberately delay the subway service.
Most major media outlets reported that the main purpose of this series of protests, led by a group called Solidarity Against Disability Discrimination (SADD), is to insist on facility expansion in order to guarantee the "mobility rights of persons with disabilities."
The relevant authorities have viewed the recent station skipping case quite cynically. To be honest, I was also one of those non-disabled people who could not fully agree with their viewpoint.
Looking at the disability activists' claims, is our subway really too poor to support the mobility rights of people with disabilities? When I searched for information, it seemed not to be true. On the contrary, it was statistically confirmed that our subway facilities for disabled people are world-class in every way. Then why is this issue still troubling us?
For a better understanding of these protests, I searched for more domestic articles. As a result, I found a handful of articles reporting things I did not know about. According to these reports, calling for the right to movement is only a superficial reason. One of their real intentions is to demand an increase in the budget for "deinstitutionalization."
In general, deinstitutionalization refers to the gradual return of people with disabilities from institutional facilities, back to the community. This can improve their freedom and independence. To achieve this, various services must be provided to form a friendlier environment, so that they can operate freely within the community. Guaranteeing the right to movement is just one of them.
Deinstitutionalization first began in the 1950s, in countries such as Sweden and Norway. It has since been gradually expanded in many developed western countries. This has required significant additional budgets. But, initially, the impact was not so large. Thus there has been a considerable amount of negative public opinion, along with many other complaints.
The abovementioned articles state: "In the case of our society, it is true that deinstitutionalization is still insufficient. That's why SADD is indirectly advocating for a significant increase in the budget for this. In other words, it is holding a subway riding protest as a means to firmly demand a more comprehensive deinstitutionalization budget from the government.
Therefore, I think I realize the situation/context better now. At the same time, new questions spring to mind: Does our government have enough budget resources for deinstitutionalization? Can we avoid the difficulties of resistance from local communities, unlike some western countries? And how can we increase the cost-effectiveness of that?
If the deinstitutionalization budget is increased, the implementation process will inevitably require the participation and advice of disability organizations. There is some criticism that SADD will pursue collateral economic interests during these processes.
In the near future, we may be confronting a new social issue that exists behind the protests, calling for the right to mobility of disabled people. It should be cautiously dealt with.
The writer (sochan57@naver.com) is a retired principal of Gunsan Girls' High School.
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I love Seoul's subway. It never fails to bring me to my destination on time. This belief had been firm, until an incident where a specific train did not stop, at certain subway stations, a few days ago.
I was on that train and was very late for an important meeting. I had missed my station by two stops and had to go back the way I came. This made me reflect on the recent "subway riding protests," which I had not paid much attention to.
Since early 2020, according to the timetable, planned in advance, protesters in their wheelchairs have gathered at certain subway stations during the morning rush hour. They boarded in groups, traveled a few stops, and then disembarked, in such a manner so as to deliberately delay the subway service.
Most major media outlets reported that the main purpose of this series of protests, led by a group called Solidarity Against Disability Discrimination (SADD), is to insist on facility expansion in order to guarantee the........
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