ANTI-DISCRIMINATION LAW

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It's been 11 years since Korea's anti-discrimination law against people with disabilities went into effect. But not much change has occurred in our society, as hateful and discriminatory behaviors against disabled people persist both on and offline. Today we take you to Changwon in gyeongsangnam-do province where incidents involving discriminatory acts have occurred.

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Two men are arguing in front of the restroom at a library in Gyeongsangnam-do Province. The man with toilet paper in his hand is a 74-year-old man surnamed Park with grade 3 cerebral palsy. A 60-something man he had never seen before accused him of stealing toilet paper and dragged him to the building management office. Mr. Park sustained a serious injury to his wrist, but the accuser paid only one million won in fine. Nam Jeong-woo with grade 1 physical disability also heard his share of hateful expressions while arguing for better amenities for the disabled.

[Soundbite] NAM JEONG-WOO(CHANGWON RESIDENT) : "We've been called names for receiving tax benefits."

Expressions that belittle or incite hate against people with disabilities are rampant in cyberspace. The National Human Rights Commission of Korea found that 95% of the people with disabilities were subject to hateful comments online, while 73.5% experienced hateful acts in person.

[Soundbite] SONG JEONG-MOON(DISABILITY ACTIVIST) : "Very few cases are reported, because they fear somebody might kill them."

Eleven years have passed since the anti-discrimination law against people with disabilities was legislated, but discrimination and prejudice against them persist.