[Opinion] Handicapped face huge hurdles in Korea

The news of a handicapped man's suicide following the enactment of the Fundamental Standard of Living Guarantee Laws, leading to the loss of the head of household status and the opportunity to work due to his wife's income as a housekeeper, has saddened the hearts of many.

Last month, a handicapped driver was physically attacked by a driver and his son, who had been behind the car driven by the handicapped man, for being "too slow." The handicapped man was then accused of driving under the influence of alcohol and was hauled off to a police station.

Such occurrences force us to look upon ourselves and our society.

It seems as though Koreans were in a rush toward economic development, blinding many from the opportunity to look around at their neighbors. Then with the economic depression, the law of the jungle, the survival of the fittest seems to be spreading throughout society and is hammering away at the very foundation of social consciousness.

Bushing aside the fundamental value and dignity of individual existence, the narrow-minded utilitarian values that stress ability and achievement always have placed the handicapped at the margin of our society, effectively ignoring them.

However, such narrow-minded utilitarian values seem to have forgotten the fact that all of us could well become one of the handicapped. In Korea, the number of children becoming handicapped during birth stands at more than 20,000 per year, which is 4% of all children born. Also, on a yearly basis, traffic accidents lead 30,000 people to become handicapped, while industrial disasters account for 20,000 a year.

Leaving aside the number of handicaps caused by environmental pollution and lack of work safety, every year 80,000 healthy individuals become handicapped.

Such acquired handicapped account for 90% of all handicapped people. However, many people look upon those who have become handicapped through early-age illness or during birth as having some inherent deficiencies and consider their handicaps to be a result of some fatalistic congenital deformity.

However, the number of acquired handicaps is proportional to the degree of modernity, and as it is a social issue rather than a personal one, it really cannot be set aside as some divine punishment or destiny.

As such, rather than write off the handicapped issue as a personal tragedy of those afflicted, society must consider it as one near its heart and the solution inspire the society as a whole to take responsibility and concern for the handicapped.

Accordingly, certain suggestions can be made for the welfare of the handicapped.

First, for the government's task for the welfare of the handicapped, the magnification and registration of the category for the handicapped, the guarantee of their right to education through an integrated education system, the construction of handicapped facilities, the improvement of the system of service provision, and the measures for the prevention of acquired handicap can be suggested.

Accordingly, for the government to effectively carry out these programs, it must first increase its financial support. Korea's budget for handicapped related services stand below 1% of total budget, while Japan, also not considered a welfare state, earmarks over 3% of its budget.

Second, while the core engine for the welfare of the handicapped remains as the government, the citizen organizations also have great responsibility that must not be ignored. The management of the welfare facilities, the education and re-training, the home counseling, the visitations to the welfare facilities and volunteer services, and the advocacy of the handicapped rights are all responsibilities of the citizen groups.

Third, in order to alleviate the bias and the stereotypes concerning the handicapped, extensive efforts will be required. For such, early-age programs where handicapped and non-handicapped children can mingle and play together must be established, and the handicapped children should be given the right to study alongside non-handicapped children.

Lastly, the handicapped themselves must abandon their over-reliance and alienation, to join forces with other handicapped to seek their rights. Through such means, they should redirect the policies of the government, as well as the social stigmatism.

Today the issues surrounding the handicapped are our very own responsibility as a member of this society. As such, through inter-cooperation of the government, the citizen groups and the handicapped themselves, real solutions that are not results of pity or charity but are the human rights of the handicapped can be found.

Professor Cho Heung-Shik, Social Sciences of Seoul National University