At 11 a.m. on the 28th, at the Seoul Gangnam Branch of the Korea Association of Health Promotion in Jamsil, Seoul. From one side of the basic checkup booth at the health screening center came the quick "chak, chak, chak" sound of papers being flipped. Health screening assistant Lee Hae-jun was checking the examinee's test sheets one by one. With the left hand, Lee flipped the papers, and with the right hand, reinserted any missing sheets.
When the reporter said, "Let's do an interview," Lee showed the stack of papers and said, "Just up to here. Please wait a moment," while gathering the documents.
◇ Specialized jobs → transition to private hiring... satisfaction from work
Lee has been working here since Aug. last year through the Seoul City "customized specialized job program" (specialized jobs). Lee goes to work at 9 a.m. every day and works until 1 p.m., four hours a day. Preparing for tests—such as checking and organizing health screening sheets and assembling urine test cups—and moving supplies are the main duties.
Originally, the specialized jobs were scheduled to run from July to December, but in Sep., the third month on the job, the health promotion association proposed to "keep working together." An association official said, "Attendance was diligent and job adaptability was excellent," and added, "Although three months remained in the city-supported period, we made the proposal because we wanted to continue working together regardless."
Lee, who has a mild disability caused by epilepsy, previously ran a labor supply enterprise. While working from home, Lee at times earned more than in jobs for people with disabilities.
Lee said, "I wanted to do work that involved meeting people, but there were limits to long hours of outside work due to the disability," and added, "Through the specialized jobs, after counseling, it seems I found work that fits my disposition and abilities."
At 2 p.m. the same day, at the first-floor cafe I Got Everything in the annex of Seoul Customs in Hak-dong, Seoul, Jang Hyun-ju was brewing coffee. I Got Everything is a cafe operated by the Korea Disabled People's Development Institute (KODDI) to provide stable and sustainable jobs for people with severe disabilities. The Seoul Customs branch is the 100th I Got Everything location.
Jang, a person with a severe developmental disability, works here as a barista from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Jang handles everything from making coffee and other beverages to managing inventory and tidying the store. Jang started working through the specialized jobs in mid-Sep. last year and switched to private hiring after a month and a half.
Jang said, "With the specialized jobs, I could only work up to four hours a day, but after private hiring, my working hours increased to six and a half," and added, "I am satisfied because my income has increased. I can also work eight hours."
Jang's mother and sibling also have disabilities. Jang's household could maintain its livelihood with government subsidies, but Jang was excluded from eligibility due to earned income. Jang said working and earning money directly is preferable to maintaining a livelihood through benefits.
Kim Hoon, head of the job support team at the Jongno Welfare Center for the Disabled, said, "Jang had a strong will to work independently and take responsibility for the family," and added, "We highly valued the will to work and the sense of responsibility and decided to hire directly even though time remained in the specialized jobs period."
◇ Rights-centered jobs misused for rallies and protests... revamped into customized jobs
Seoul City is increasing its job program budget with the goal of securing 12,000 public jobs for people with disabilities by 2030. The direction is to move beyond simple labor, help people find social roles through work, and support them in planning their own futures.
At the center is the "customized specialized job program." This program is a revision of the former "rights-centered job program." Rights-centered jobs can support activities that inform citizens about the U.N. Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, such as advocacy, culture and arts, and improving awareness of disabilities. However, criticism has been raised that, contrary to the original intent of supporting the independence of people with the most severe disabilities, it was run with participation in protests and similar activities.
A fact-finding survey by Seoul City found that 50.4% of participants were mobilized for rally and protest campaigns. It was also pointed out as a problem that institutions under a specific disability group accounted for 85% of all implementing organizations, effectively creating a monopolistic operating structure. In response, starting in 2024, Seoul City completely revamped the program into a customized job system that reflects changes in the private labor market and the characteristics of each type of disability. The aim was to supply real jobs.
The specialized job budget, which was 4.13892 billion won last year, increased to 6.17071 billion won this year, up about 50%. A total of 380 jobs will be supplied this year. Participants work four hours a day, five days a week, and the monthly pay is about 1.08 million won, all funded by the city.
◇ Seoul City: "Budget for people with disabilities is an investment, not an expense"
From the planning stage of the specialized job program, Seoul City focused on securing accessible facilities and identifying duties so that even people with severe disabilities could participate. To ensure it does not end in short-term employment and can lead to private hiring, the city actively identified enterprises that face difficulties with mandatory employment of people with disabilities.
Job categories included enterprises such as cafes, hospitals, educational institutions, manufacturing, and information technology (IT), where practical job placement is possible. Lee and Jang are representative cases that transitioned to private hiring.
This year, Seoul City will also newly supply 120 culture and arts jobs for people with the most severe disabilities. Reflecting criticism that existing culture and arts jobs for people with disabilities were leisure-oriented, the city plans to operate them so they lead to substantive production activities, such as performances and the sale of creative works.
A Seoul City official said, "Aiming for an inclusive city, Seoul supports the sustainable independence of people with disabilities," and added, "Even under difficult fiscal conditions, we are increasing the budget for people with disabilities by 10% every year."