Emergency Budget Allocated for Supporting Disabled Persons Aged 65 and Over in Seoul, Daegu, etc... Human Rights Commission's Emergency Relief Measures

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Dong-hoon] The National Human Rights Commission of Korea has expressed its welcome regarding the decision by Seoul City and Daegu City to provide budget support for severely disabled persons aged 65 and over.

The Human Rights Commission had previously recommended on February 10 and 24 that the heads of three metropolitan local governments urgently provide related services to prevent serious harm to the life or health of severely disabled persons who turned 65 from being caused by the suspension of disability activity support services.

At the time of the decision, the 13 affected individuals residing in Seoul Special City (6 persons), Daegu Metropolitan City (5 persons), and Gyeonggi Province (2 persons) were severely disabled persons who had reached or were about to reach their 65th birthday. They were either unable to use activity support services or were facing a situation where they would be unable to use them within a few months. The Human Rights Commission decided on urgent relief, recognizing that if activity support were suspended, they would be unable to maintain basic daily living at all and could face life-threatening serious situations.

Regarding this decision, Seoul Special City responded that it would allocate an emergency budget for support in 2020 and, after consultation with the Social Security Committee in 2021, would pursue extending the program as a continuous project. Daegu Metropolitan City stated that it would provide partial support using emergency care projects and seek ways to connect with private resources. Gyeonggi Province argued that under the current system, it is difficult to provide services that meet the needs of the affected persons and that related legal amendments are necessary.

The Human Rights Commission stated, "We welcome Seoul City's not only allocating an emergency budget but also expressing the intention to organize a continuous project, showing the most proactive willingness to implement the recommendation."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.