Wheelchair Ramps to Be Installed at Small Convenience Stores and Restaurants

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[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Young-won] In the future, small convenience stores, restaurants, hair salons, and clinics will be required to install ramps for wheelchair users with disabilities.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare announced that the partial amendment to the Enforcement Decree of the Act on Guarantee of Convenience for Persons with Disabilities, the Elderly, Pregnant Women, etc., which includes these provisions, was approved at the Cabinet meeting on the 26th.

The amendment was prepared reflecting the demands of people with disabilities who found it impossible to access small-scale living facilities. Accordingly, small stores that were previously exempt from installing convenience facilities for the disabled are now included in the mandatory installation targets for facilities such as ramps.

The mandatory installation area criteria for convenience stores, supermarkets, and other daily necessities retail stores, as well as general restaurants, have been strengthened from a floor area of 300㎡ or more to 50㎡ or more. For hair salons, the standard has been expanded from the current 500㎡ or more to 50㎡ or more; for bathhouses, from 500㎡ or more to 300㎡ or more; and for clinics including dental clinics, Korean medicine clinics, and postpartum care centers, from 500㎡ or more to 100㎡ or more.

The amended enforcement decree will be implemented from the 1st of next month only for newly constructed, expanded, rebuilt, or reconstructed facilities. This is a measure to minimize the economic burden on small business owners operating in existing buildings. According to estimates by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, approximately 17,700 small neighborhood living facilities will be subject to the expanded application annually.

A Ministry of Health and Welfare official said, "Through this amendment, ramps and other facilities will be installed in small neighborhood living facilities frequently visited in daily life, enabling people with disabilities to use them more conveniently and safely."

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