Gominjeong to Lee Junseok: "You Should Listen to the People's Voices, Not Just Tap the Keyboard"

Gominjeong "Lee Jun-seok Repeatedly Belittles Disability Protests"

Democratic Party lawmaker Ko Min-jung. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] Lee Jun-seok, leader of the People Power Party, has repeatedly criticized the protest methods of the National Solidarity for the Elimination of Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities (Jeonjangyeon) regarding mobility rights. On the 29th, Go Min-jung, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, pointed out, "Instead of just tapping on SNS keyboards, I urge you to listen to the voices of the people and take action."

On the same day, Go held a press conference at the National Assembly Communication Office and said, "Leader Lee has been disparaging the disability protests daily, claiming they hold Seoul citizens' mornings hostage."

She criticized Lee, saying, "Before boasting that 93% of elevators for transportation-vulnerable people are already installed, I want to ask whether the currently installed ones are operating properly and whether they have become useless scrap metal due to various inconveniences."

She continued, "There are a total of 2,880 elevators in the Seoul subway, and 96 of them are under private maintenance responsibility. I have inspected the operational status of these 96 elevators." She explained, "According to data submitted by Seoul Metro in July last year, 11 out of the 96 elevators have been out of service for periods ranging from 5 months to as long as 17 years due to breakdowns and refusal of operation by building owners."

Go said, "Even now, eight months later, not a single one of these 11 elevators is fully operational," and added, "It was understandable that Seoul City was unaware when the issue was first raised in July last year. However, it is hard to accept that after eight months, not a single elevator is operating normally."

Lee Jun-seok, Leader of the People Power Party. [Image source=Yonhap News]

She emphasized, "What we need to focus on regarding elevator issues is not only completing installation from 93% to 100% but also ensuring that the currently installed elevators are well maintained and that people with disabilities or transportation-vulnerable individuals can conveniently exercise their mobility rights."

Earlier, on the 25th, Lee said on his Facebook, "The elevator installation rate in the Seoul subway is already 93.0%. According to this year's plan, it will be 94.9%." He added, "If protests that hold citizens' commutes hostage continue, I will go to the site and confront them."

Regarding this, Go said, "Before scolding the public, we need to consider the current operational status of elevators and devise improvement measures to alleviate public inconvenience."

Furthermore, she said, "Leader Lee will soon be the head of the ruling party. If so, he must examine why the bills demanded by people with disabilities are necessary and what obstacles prevent progress to the next stage."

Finally, Go urged Lee, "I call on you to take a responsible stance by discussing with Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon to improve the issue of elevators currently out of service and to facilitate parliamentary negotiations for the enactment of the Disability Rights Guarantee Act and the Disability Deinstitutionalization Support Act."

Meanwhile, Jeonjangyeon has decided to suspend their morning protests starting from the 30th and begin a 'head-shaving struggle.' In response, Lee posted on Facebook, "Jeonjangyeon has given up on achieving their goals by blocking subway passage and causing inconvenience to citizens," adding, "It is fortunate and welcome that Jeonjangyeon recognizes that causing inconvenience to many ordinary citizens is an inefficient method."

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