'Without Discrimination, Equal Opportunity, Greater Happiness' ... Busan City Holds the 43rd Disabled Persons Day Event
Published 19 Apr.2023 09:30(KST)
Updated 07 Aug.2025 15:01(KST)
Evening of the 19th from 8 to 9 PM, commemorative lighting events at 6 locations
Festival held at Songsanghyeon Square at 2 PM on the 25th
Busan City will hold various events to improve awareness of disabilities and promote the welfare of people with disabilities in celebration of the 43rd Disability Day on the 20th.
Sponsored by the city and hosted and organized by the Busan Disabled People's Federation, this event will be held under the theme "No Discrimination, Equal Opportunities, Greater Happiness," with a commemorative ceremony on the 20th and celebratory and side events on the 25th.
Disability Day was established in 1981, the year the United Nations declared the International Year of Disabled Persons, to promote understanding of people with disabilities and encourage their rehabilitation motivation, aiming to create a society that advances disability welfare. It is held annually on April 20.
At 10 a.m. on the 20th, the "43rd Disability Day Commemorative Ceremony" will be held in the main auditorium on the first floor of City Hall. About 500 people, including Deputy Mayor An Byung-yoon, people with disabilities and their families, and awardees, will attend. The ceremony will include awards for exemplary persons with disabilities and contributors to disability welfare, presentation of plaques of appreciation, and a congratulatory performance by an orchestra of people with developmental disabilities, an excellent case of creating cultural and artistic jobs for people with disabilities. The ceremony will be broadcast live on the Busan Disabled People's Federation YouTube channel.
This year, a special celebratory event has also been prepared. On April 25 at 2 p.m., the "Busan Disability Festival" will be held at Songsanghyeon Square. The event will feature performances such as a disability music festival and invited singers, as well as side events including disability experience activities, cultural exhibitions, and free maintenance checks for assistive devices.
For more details, please contact the Busan Disabled People's Federation.
During Disability Day week (April 20?26), various events to commemorate and celebrate Disability Day will also be held.
At the Busan Comprehensive Welfare Center for the Disabled, social contribution joint events will be held with social enterprises in the Busan area, including activities such as experiencing visual impairment and connecting braille blocks. The Yeongdo-gu Welfare Center for the Disabled will hold free meal services and gift-sharing events, and commemorative events will be held at welfare centers for the disabled in each district and county.
Also, from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. on the 19th, a lighting event to commemorate Disability Day will be held at six representative tourist spots in Busan. This is part of the global awareness campaign "WeThe15," which highlights that 15% of the world's population, 1.2 billion people, have disabilities.
Busan's landmarks, including Busan City Hall, Busan Cinema Center, Busan Tower, Gwangandaegyo Bridge, Busan Harbor Bridge, and Namhang Bridge, will be simultaneously illuminated in purple, the campaign's symbolic color.
Deputy Mayor An Byung-yoon said, "Creating a society where people with and without disabilities live without discrimination is the mission of all of us," adding, "We will review systems and practices to ensure no restrictions on social activities for people with disabilities, expand support systems to guarantee comprehensive rights for people with disabilities, and build a Busan where everyone communicates together regardless of disability."
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