I'm Park Kyung Seok from the Solidarity Against Disability Discrimination(SADD).
Today is the 14th day of our Crawl Protest, 'Pochetuji'.
*Pochetuji (匍體投地): In Buddhism, bowing with all five parts of the body (knees, elbows, forehead, and forehead) touching the ground is called ochetuji, a way of showing the utmost respect by humbling oneself infinitely. "Po-che-tu-ji" is a crawling form of prostration used by people with severe disabilities who are unable to perform oche-tu-ji.
In Korea, my comrades crawled demanding our rights, and I crawled on the subway in Fukuoka, Japan.
In Japan, whenever a wheelchair user takes the subway, a station attendant always accompany them to provide a safe ramp. This accomodation makes subway safe for wheelchair users, eliminating the danger which the gaps and level differences in the subway entrance pose. The attendant also makes sure of the safe exit by finding out ,in advance, which stop the user would be exiting, and make sure there's a staff have a ramp ready.
In Korea, however, there are still numerous accidents due to the dangerous subway entrance with wide gaps and level differences. We, the disability movement in Korea, have been demanding for the right to personal mobility and safe subway for decades, but the government still doesn't act on it. There are no accomodation staff in Korean subway stations, and the ramps they have in the stations are not as safely made as the Japan ramps.
Please pay attention to our struggle for safe subway in Korea. It's time for some meaningful changes.
Our hearts will not stop wanting the full citizenship for the persons with disabilities in South Korea.
We will go to the Paris Olympics and Paralympics in August and continue the Crawl protest, 'Pochetuji', to promote the rights of citizens with disabilities and to expose those who are robbing the persons of disabilities.
We implore the 22nd National Assembly to do their duties for the rights of persons with disabilities.
June 21, 2024.
Park Kyung Seok, from Japan, crying out that people with disabilities are citizens as well
I'm Park Kyung Seok from the Solidarity Against Disability Discrimination(SADD).
Today is the 14th day of our Crawl Protest, 'Pochetuji'.
*Pochetuji (匍體投地): In Buddhism, bowing with all five parts of the body (knees, elbows, forehead, and forehead) touching the ground is called ochetuji, a way of showing the utmost respect by humbling oneself infinitely. "Po-che-tu-ji" is a crawling form of prostration used by people with severe disabilities who are unable to perform oche-tu-ji.
In Korea, my comrades crawled demanding our rights, and I crawled on the subway in Fukuoka, Japan.
In Japan, whenever a wheelchair user takes the subway, a station attendant always accompany them to provide a safe ramp. This accomodation makes subway safe for wheelchair users, eliminating the danger which the gaps and level differences in the subway entrance pose. The attendant also makes sure of the safe exit by finding out ,in advance, which stop the user would be exiting, and make sure there's a staff have a ramp ready.
In Korea, however, there are still numerous accidents due to the dangerous subway entrance with wide gaps and level differences. We, the disability movement in Korea, have been demanding for the right to personal mobility and safe subway for decades, but the government still doesn't act on it. There are no accomodation staff in Korean subway stations, and the ramps they have in the stations are not as safely made as the Japan ramps.
Please pay attention to our struggle for safe subway in Korea. It's time for some meaningful changes.
Our hearts will not stop wanting the full citizenship for the persons with disabilities in South Korea.
We will go to the Paris Olympics and Paralympics in August and continue the Crawl protest, 'Pochetuji', to promote the rights of citizens with disabilities and to expose those who are robbing the persons of disabilities.
We implore the 22nd National Assembly to do their duties for the rights of persons with disabilities.
June 21, 2024.
Park Kyung Seok, from Japan, crying out that people with disabilities are citizens as well