[Inside Chodong] Who Is Responsible for the Conflict Over Jeonjangyeon Protests?

[Asia Economy Reporter Seong Gi-ho] Seoul City, led by Mayor Oh Se-hoon who advocates for "walking with the vulnerable," has found itself in a difficult situation. Last year’s local elections overcame the opposition-majority city council, making this year expected to be, as Mayor Oh said, the "first year of doing things properly." However, since the beginning of the year, the conflict with the National Solidarity Against Disability Discrimination (Jeonjangyeon) has deepened, and no solution has been found.

Mayor Oh Se-hoon and Park Kyung-seok, the representative of the National Solidarity for the Elimination of Disability Discrimination, are greeting each other after a meeting at Seoul City Hall on the 2nd.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

From the perspective of an ordinary citizen rather than a reporter, Seoul City’s refusal to meet Jeonjangyeon’s demands feels harsh. Clearly, people with disabilities are members of our society, and the freedom of movement they claim is a right that every citizen of our country should enjoy. Most citizens likely share this view. Although many citizens now cast harsh glances due to the excessive disruption caused by Jeonjangyeon’s ongoing protests, at the beginning of the protests, there was much sympathy, thinking that they must have had no other choice.

However, this perspective changed 180 degrees after watching the meeting between Mayor Oh and Jeonjangyeon on the 2nd. Jeonjangyeon stated about Seoul’s subway facilities for the disabled, "Foreign media like the BBC say Seoul is better equipped than other countries," and "I understand that Seoul’s subway facilities for the disabled are better than places like New York."

If Seoul’s subway facilities are better than anywhere else in the world, and they themselves acknowledge this, why then does Jeonjangyeon conduct extreme protests in Seoul? The answer to this question was unexpected. Jeonjangyeon demanded, "Seoul City should take the lead in persuading the Ministry of Economy and Finance to increase the budget for disabled mobility."

Of course, there was also a request for Seoul City to guarantee mobility rights for the disabled, but the repeated message was, "The real social power lies with the Ministry of Economy and Finance," and "Please request this from the Minister of Economy and Finance in your capacity as Seoul’s mayor."

Watching the meeting, one could only feel bewildered. Ultimately, Jeonjangyeon held Seoul citizens hostage to push their position through the Ministry of Economy and Finance, using Seoul City as a means.

The bigger problem is that Jeonjangyeon knows that the budget for disabled rights is outside Seoul City’s authority. In fact, the budget for disabled rights is under the jurisdiction of the central government. Nevertheless, to achieve their demands, they are protesting in Seoul, which has the most disability-friendly transportation environment.

How will Seoul citizens accept the fact that they must endure inconvenience to persuade the Ministry of Economy and Finance? The punctuality of public transportation is directly linked to the livelihood of ordinary people. So far, complaints to Seoul City due to Jeonjangyeon’s protests have reached 9,337 cases.

Jeonjangyeon plans to resume subway boarding protests starting on the 13th. They have already objected twice to the court’s proposed mediation. If the protests continue, citizens will increasingly shun Jeonjangyeon. It should be remembered that Jeonjangyeon could find themselves in a more difficult situation than Seoul City, which advocates for "walking with the vulnerable."

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