"Medical Students' 'Thanks Challenge' Sign Language Mockery"... Disability Rights Group Files Complaint with Human Rights Commission

On the morning of the 25th, in front of the National Human Rights Commission in Jung-gu, Seoul, members of the civic group People Breaking Down the Barriers of Disability are shouting slogans before submitting a discrimination complaint to the Human Rights Commission, urging the prevention of recurrence of sign language distortion and derogation.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Dong-hoon] Deaf individuals have collectively filed a complaint with the National Human Rights Commission, claiming that the hand gesture used in the 'Deokbuneuramyeo Challenge' conducted by medical school student groups opposing the government's medical policies is a derogatory sign in Korean Sign Language (KSL).

The disability rights organization "People Breaking Down the Walls of Disability" held a press conference in front of the National Human Rights Commission on the 25th and filed a complaint against the Korean Medical School and Graduate School Student Association (Uidae-hyeop) and the Korean Intern Resident Association, who conducted the 'Deokbuneuramyeo Challenge.'

The government has been running the 'Deokbune Challenge' using the KSL hand sign meaning 'respect' to express gratitude to medical staff fighting the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Recently, medical students flipped the hand gesture to criticize the government's medical policies and conducted the 'Deokbuneuramyeo Challenge.'

The organization "People Breaking Down the Walls of Disability" criticized, "'Deokbuneuramyeo Challenge' is a mockery by flipping the KSL sign that means 'respect,'" adding, "It is offensive and insulting to deaf people whose mother tongue is sign language."

The group pointed out, "Many deaf individuals have felt insulted and hurt because of the 'Deokbuneuramyeo Challenge,'" and "The fact that the mocked hand gesture could acquire a negative meaning is also problematic."

Earlier, in response to such criticism, Uidae-hyeop issued a statement on the 22nd apologizing sincerely to the deaf community who may have been hurt and stopped using the problematic hand gesture.

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