Lee Sang-il Vows to Stand with People with Disabilities and Their Families, Promising Practical Solutions

Lee Sang-il, Candidate for Yongin Mayor
Holds Policy Meeting with Yongin Branch of the Korea Parents Federation for the Disabled
Discusses Policy Proposals Including Sports Center for People with Disabilities

Lee Sang-il, candidate for mayor of Yongin Special City, held a policy meeting on the morning of May 18, 2026, at his campaign office with members of the Korea Parents Federation for the Disabled Yongin Branch. They listened to and discussed key policy proposals aimed at improving the quality of life for people with disabilities and their families in Yongin.

Lee Sangil, candidate for mayor of Yongin Special City, held a policy meeting on the morning of the 18th at the candidate's office with members of the Korea Disabled Parents Association Yongin Branch. They listened to and discussed key policy proposals to improve the quality of life for disabled people and their families in Yongin. Photo by Lee Sangil candidate

This meeting was organized to address the real-life challenges faced by approximately 38,000 people with disabilities and around 110,000 family members living in Yongin, and to discuss practical solutions, especially for households of individuals with developmental disabilities who bear the heavy burden of lifelong care.

At the meeting, the Yongin Branch of the Korea Parents Federation for the Disabled presented several policy tasks, including: delegating pre-opening work for the Yongin Family Support Center for the Disabled; constructing a sports center for people with disabilities; establishing a support center for individuals with developmental disabilities; building new special schools and expanding special education classrooms within general schools; piloting a personal budget system for people with disabilities; and expanding activity support services for people with disabilities.

Lee Sang-il stated, "It pains me to see that many parents of people with developmental disabilities feel crushed by the weight of care," emphasizing, "Yongin City needs to make greater efforts so that people with disabilities and their families can live more comfortably."

In particular, Lee expressed a strong commitment to expanding infrastructure for education, sports, and care for people with disabilities.

He said, "I believe it is worth considering the construction of special schools and related facilities in the form of a town, especially in areas with convenient transportation access, to enable systematic education tailored to different types and ages of disabilities. We will also study the creation of a 'care town' on as large a site as possible, where special daycare centers and special schools can be established together."

He added, "If I am re-elected as mayor for the ninth term, I will push forward boldly as soon as tax revenues are secured. I have always believed that the budget should be allocated first to those who are most in need."

Regarding education, he said, "We will pursue the establishment of new special schools and daycare centers exclusively for children with disabilities in Yongin, and, through a pilot project to expand special education classrooms within general schools, work with the Office of Education to create an inclusive educational environment where students with and without disabilities can grow together."

Lee also noted, "The construction of the Bandabi Sports Center was canceled during the eighth term due to opposition from Democratic Party city council members, but if I serve as mayor for the ninth term, I will make sure it is built. We had already secured 4 billion won in national funding and had pushed ahead with the project, but Democratic Party council members rejected the related public property management plan, which was extremely irresponsible."

Meanwhile, the meeting also drew attention due to an unusual mention of an encounter with a rival candidate’s camp.

According to attendees, when they recently visited the office of candidate Hyun Geun-taek to explain the possibility of utilizing land in the Heungdeok District for the creation of a lifelong care town for people with disabilities, candidate Hyun reportedly asked, "Is Heungdeok part of Yongin?" and appeared to confuse 'Daum School' with 'Next School,' showing a lack of interest in Yongin City.

One attendee stated, "Parents of people with disabilities were greatly disappointed to see that he was not even accurately aware of the city's main living areas or key local issues. There was talk among attendees that, in terms of understanding both disability policies and local realities, he was not adequately prepared as a candidate for mayor."

Yoo Hyang-geum, branch president, said, "I am grateful that you listened to the realities faced by people with disabilities and to the urgent voices of parents. I hope that the policies proposed today will be reflected in city administration so that families of people with disabilities can live with hope in Yongin."

Finally, Lee Sang-il emphasized, "We will carefully review the policies proposed today and actively incorporate them into city administration, making Yongin the nation’s most inclusive city where people with and without disabilities live together. If elected, I will arrange another meeting like this."

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