National Skills Competition for Persons with Disabilities Opens on the 8th... Until the 15th

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] The Ministry of Employment and Labor announced on the 7th that this year's National Disabled Skills Competition will be held from the 8th to the 15th at nine venues nationwide, including the Korea Employment Agency for the Disabled Ilsan Vocational Competency Development Center.

The competition features 909 athletes competing in 54 occupations. The 38th National Disabled Skills Competition, which includes winners from the regional disabled skills competitions this year and the 37th competition that was not held last year due to COVID-19, will be held simultaneously. Through this, the selection for the national team for the 10th International Abilympics to be held in Moscow, Russia, in May next year will also take place. The first-place winner will be able to participate in the Moscow competition next year.

Medals and prize money of 12 million KRW for gold, 8 million KRW for silver, 4 million KRW for bronze, and 1 million KRW for encouragement awards will be given to winners in the regular national competition occupations. Exemptions from the written and practical tests for the relevant occupational technician certification will also be granted. Demonstration occupations and leisure/basic occupations will receive respective prize money according to their performance. Participating athletes will receive a participation incentive of 100,000 KRW.

Employment Minister Ahn Kyung-deok said, "Through the Disabled Skills Competition, many skilled technicians have been discovered and are active as important industrial forces in our country," adding, "The Ministry of Employment and Labor will actively support so that prejudice against disabilities does not become an obstacle in the process of disabled people demonstrating their capabilities at work."

The Ministry also introduced stories of participating athletes. Woo Jeong-tae, who has a physical disability, suffers from hemophilia which damaged his lower limb joints, but through vocational training at the agency, he won a gold medal in the CNC milling category at the 36th competition in 2019. He is competing in the CNC lathe category in this competition. He dreams of becoming the top technician in the machinery field. Woo said, "Machining, which uses hot chips, sharp workpieces, and heavy tools, was a somewhat dangerous challenge for me with hemophilia, but through the competition experience, I gained confidence in life."

Ahn Dong-hyu, who is battling brain lesion disability, was suddenly diagnosed with lung cancer in 2014 and underwent brain surgery, being told he had only six months to live. Since then, he has devoted himself to intense rehabilitation and training and earned the right to compete in the computer repair category in this competition. Ahn said, "It was not easy to learn new skills after turning sixty, but since a new opportunity in life has opened, I will do my best in the competition."

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