Jang Hye-young "More Surprising Than the Buzz Cut Is Today's National Assembly and Transition Team Showing So Little Interest"

Jang Hye-young, a Justice Party lawmaker, is holding a press conference to propose an amendment to the Act on Support for Disabled Persons' Activities at the National Assembly Communication Office on the morning of the 20th. / Yonhap News

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[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Joo-hee] Jang Hye-young, a Justice Party lawmaker who shaved her head to urge the establishment of a 24-hour support system for people with developmental disabilities, raised her voice in criticism, saying, "There is nothing surprising about my shaved head. What is truly shocking is the current National Assembly, the Presidential Transition Committee, and President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol, who show so little interest in the reality where parents of people with developmental disabilities kill their children and themselves due to insufficient state support."

On the 20th, Jang posted on Facebook, "Today is the 42nd Disability Discrimination Elimination Day. Yesterday, in front of the Blue House, I shaved my head together with 555 people including individuals with developmental disabilities, their families, and citizens demanding the Transition Committee promise to establish a 24-hour support system for developmental disabilities."

Regarding the disability policy briefing announced by the Transition Committee on the 19th, Jang said, "It was like an empty cart, so trivial and inadequate that it is hard to believe it was a policy from a country that ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities," and criticized, "I think it was a face-saving announcement hastily made to mark the occasion without any philosophy or will."

Earlier, the Transition Committee announced a review plan for 10 policy tasks across 4 areas related to disability policy. These include reviewing the introduction of a personal budget system for people with disabilities, strengthening the care support system for people with disabilities, mandatory replacement of low-floor buses in city buses starting in 2023, introduction of high-speed and intercity buses accessible to wheelchair users, and achieving a 100% adoption rate of call taxis for people with disabilities by 2027. However, the Transition Committee did not provide clear answers regarding demands from disability organizations such as "budget allocation for deinstitutionalization projects" and "24-hour support for people with developmental disabilities," stating that "various perspectives exist" and "these are not parts that can be achieved all at once."

Representatives of the National Solidarity for the Elimination of Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities held a press conference and a head-shaving ceremony on the 20th at the Gyeongbokgung Station platform of Subway Line 3 in Jongno-gu, Seoul, urging for the budget for disability rights and the amendment of related laws. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

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Jang also sharpened her criticism toward the National Assembly. She said, "Currently, during the April extraordinary session, the Disability Rights Guarantee Act and the Deinstitutionalization Support Act, which will serve as a solid foundation for future policies guaranteeing the rights of people with disabilities, are under review. A public hearing was held recently, and as scheduled, the two bills should be reviewed tomorrow at the Health and Welfare Committee subcommittee. However, the subcommittee schedule was suddenly postponed to the 28th. This raises doubts about the ruling and opposition parties' willingness to process the bills." She emphasized, "No matter what happens, these two bills must be passed during the April extraordinary session."

Jang also announced that she has reintroduced the "Activity Support Act Amendment," which guarantees 24-hour activity support for people with disabilities, explaining, "'Modern-day Goryeo Jang' may have disappeared, but the lives of people with disabilities are still in the blind spots of social care. This bill is essential for establishing a 24-hour support system for people with developmental disabilities."

Furthermore, she said, "Humans are beings who live together, so we have a social responsibility for each other's lives. Without a dignified life for people with disabilities, no one can have a dignified life. There is only a life of luck," and urged, "I call on the Blue House, all political parties, the Transition Committee, and President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol to fulfill their political duties to guarantee a dignified life for all."

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