Daegu City Lags in Employment of People with Disabilities; Purchase Rate of Products Made by Severely Disabled Only 0.53%

Kim Jeongok Highlights in Five-Minute Speech
"If the Public Sector Turns Away, the Private Sector Will Also Refuse"

On July 28, Kim Jeongok, a member of the Daegu Metropolitan Council (People Power Party, proportional representative), pointed out the current state of employment for people with disabilities in Daegu during a five-minute free speech session at the 3rd plenary meeting of the 318th extraordinary session. She urged Daegu City and the Daegu Metropolitan Office of Education to improve their use of relevant systems and to enhance the employment environment.

The employment rate for people with disabilities in Daegu stands at 23.9%, which is significantly lower than the national average of 34%. The relevant indicators for Daegu City and the Office of Education, which should serve as role models for the local community, are no different. Public institutions under Daegu City pay an annual employment levy of 600 million KRW, while the Office of Education pays 4 billion KRW. The purchase rate of products made by people with severe disabilities is only 0.53%.

Jungok Kim Daegu City Councilor

In response, Kim stated, "To fulfill the obligation of employing people with disabilities, Daegu City and the Office of Education must make better use of the system and improve the private sector's employment environment for people with disabilities." She called for the city and the office to uphold their minimum responsibility and solidarity toward socially disadvantaged groups.

She also emphasized, "By actively utilizing the linked employment reduction system, Daegu City Hall and the Office of Education should collaborate with companies specializing in employing people with disabilities. This will provide practical jobs for people with disabilities and reduce unnecessary employment levy expenditures. Through this, the priority purchase of products made by people with severe disabilities can also be increased."

Kim further pointed out, "There are many small and micro businesses in Daegu. Even if they are willing to hire people with disabilities, they often give up due to the burden of installing convenience facilities. Daegu City must establish practical support measures for improving convenience facilities and the work environment." She urged Daegu City to make active efforts to create an employment-friendly environment for people with disabilities in the private sector.

Kim Jeongok concluded, "If public institutions turn away, the private sector will not follow. Now, Daegu City must move beyond simply paying the employment levy and respond with responsible actions such as direct employment, priority purchasing, and support for environmental improvements."

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