Gwangju Nam-gu Launches Full-Scale Priority Purchase of 'Severe Disability Products'

Nam-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City, has decided to put all its efforts into prioritizing the purchase of products made by persons with severe disabilities this year to expand employment opportunities for the disabled and ensure stable income.

On the 8th, Nam-gu stated, "We are prioritizing the purchase of products made by persons with severe disabilities to contribute to expanding their employment opportunities and economic independence through social activities," adding, "The target amount for this year is 288 million KRW, which is about 1.3% of last year's total purchase amount, and it may be increased up to 2% depending on conditions in the second half of the year."

Nam-gu's target purchase ratio is higher than the government’s standard of at least 1% of the annual total purchase amount for public institutions, as stipulated in the ‘Special Act on the Priority Purchase of Products Made by Persons with Severe Disabilities.’

The reason for setting a higher target than the government standard is that the higher the mandatory purchase ratio, the greater the increase in sales for workplaces producing products made by persons with severe disabilities, thereby expanding valuable jobs for persons with severe disabilities and enhancing the market competitiveness of their products to attract more consumers.

Accordingly, Nam-gu plans to focus all efforts on protecting these valuable jobs through priority purchasing of products, as the long-lasting economic downturn could threaten the jobs and livelihoods of persons with severe disabilities.

First, the goal is to achieve this year’s purchase target as quickly as possible.

To this end, target amounts will be allocated to each department of the district office and the 17 administrative welfare centers in the district based on their office management expenses, and various service and goods purchases will be made during the first half of the year.

Additionally, the general management department will monitor monthly purchase performance and encourage early purchases in departments and welfare centers with insufficient results.

At the same time, Nam-gu has left open the possibility of additional purchases until the end of the year.

Even in a situation where local finances must be tightly managed, it is considered more important for administrative agencies to take the lead in revitalizing the economic sector for persons with disabilities.

If additional purchases are made in the second half of the year, the maximum target purchase amount by the end of the year is expected to be about 440 million KRW, which is 2% of last year’s total purchase amount.

A Nam-gu official said, "We will actively participate in meaningful consumption activities so that persons with severe disabilities can establish a foundation for independent living through stable jobs."

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