Good morning, fellow Koreans.

Though a bit late this year, flowers are now in full bloom. Many would consider this to be the best time to go on a spring outing, but there are those who find it difficult to so. Many people with physical disabilities cannot readily go out on such outings because of their physical condition or because of concerns about how others might see them. 

For many years, I have traveled to many advanced countries, and one of the things that impressed me what the fact that even people with severe disabilities were able to go out frequently. In some of the advanced countries, I even saw specially designed taxis for them.

So one of the first things I did as Mayor of Seoul was to adopt a call taxi system for the physically challenged. I was told that a man with a physical disability, who took a trip to the truce village of Panmunjeom using a call taxi at that time, said , “I was really happy that I could go someplace I would not otherwise ever have been able to go.”

It is also important to support people with disabilities financially so that they can sustain a stable living. For this reason, starting last July, the Government introduced a new pension for people with severe disabilities. Approximately 80,000 people will newly benefit among those who had not been eligible for a disability allowance.

Beginning next October, services for people with disabilities will be expanded, including home nursing and bathing services. The number of beneficiaries of such services will significantly increase to 50,000 from 30,000, and accordingly the necessary budget has increased more than 40 percent.

In addition, a caregiver service for families with children with severe physical disabilities has expanded to benefit 2,500 households this year, up from 700 households last year. The total budget allocated to support people with disabilities has risen to 3.167 trillion won, an approximately 8 percent increase from last year.

I have always held the belief that the best welfare policy is to provide job opportunities for those who are determined to stand on their own feet. I have met many people with disabilities who emphasized the fact that their life had become worth living because they could work hard at a job every day and therefore had grown closer to their family members and neighbors.

As of now, it is mandatory that at least 2.3 percent of the employees of private businesses with more than 50 employees be those with physical disabilities. The figure for government and public organizations is more than 3 percent. The food and beverage company Binggrae and the National Pension Service, are taking the initiative and setting a good example in hiring people with disabilities. However, the average employment percentage of people with disabilities among private businesses with more than 50 employees still falls short of the statutory baseline.

Even though the percentage at government and public organizations is higher than that of the private sector, they also do not meet the mandatory requirement. Business owners who do not employ people with disabilities have to pay an employment levy, but what is more important than resorting to such punitive measures, is to improve public awareness and the business culture concerning the employment of people with disabilities.

Early last year, I had a chance to visit a company where the majority of workers had a disability.  They manufactured hats with top quality control and diligence.  I witnessed a disabled employee that caught a defect in a hat, which looked just fine to me. I asked him, “doesn’t that look OK?”   He replied, “No, the color here is subtly different.” He was able to accurately point out a flaw that could have been easily overlooked unless one looked very closely. Deeply impressed by the high level of quality control, a Japanese buyer decided to import a large quantity of caps from the company.

After my visit to the company, Cheong Wa Dae also purchased caps from that company. It was not because of my visit, but because of the company’s high standard of quality.

It is my belief that people with disabilities can become very competitive workers if they are given appropriate jobs and tasks. It was reassuring to see that most of the disabled workers I met engaged in their work with intense passion, concentration and a high sense of responsibility.

I would like to see more and more companies that allow people with disabilities to demonstrate their abilities to the fullest extent. It is also my hope that companies will go beyond meeting the minimum legal requirements in hiring workers with disabilities and stop behaving like they are giving favors to them. All businesses should actively try to create jobs for the physically disabled.

Fellow Koreans,

I will never forget my April 2009 visit to the Holt Ilsan Center.  As I was listening to the singing of children with severe developmental problems, I could not help but shed tears.

It was clear that they had spent an enormous amount of time and effort to learn the song. They sang with all their hearts and their happy faces uplifted the spirits of the audience. I went there to encourage them, but it is I who left encouraged.

Lee Heung-lyeol, a poet with cerebral palsy, has written more than 300 poems by typing them with his toes. One of his works entitled “A Certain Meaning” goes something like this: Every heart needs a window/New winds bring new life daily/Enter the heart through the window.

More than any system or material support, what people with disabilities need is for us to open the window in our hearts. Of course, we should do our best to help them through government policies and budgets. At the same time we have to strive to get rid of prejudice and psychological barriers. I hope everyone in all walks of life endeavor to this end. Not just on the occasion of the Day for the Physically Disabled, but all the time.

Thank you very much.

* Government press release (April 18)