The Stream

Disability rights activists in wheelchairs surrounded by Seoul police

Protest on South Korea’s Disabled Persons Day.

A group of South Korean disability rights activists took to the streets of Seoul on Monday to mark National Disabled Persons Day.

Local AFP Bureau Chief Giles Hewitt tweeted this photo of police with riot shields surrounding the group, who were in wheelchairs. A day earlier, organisers held a press conference calling for the rights of disabled people to be respected.

Disabled South Koreans face a number of challenges, including entering the workforce. According to the Korea Herald, the unemployment rate for the disabled is nearly twice the national average.