8 in 10 workers say Korea unwelcoming to employees with disabilities: survey
Nearly 8 in 10 workers say Korea is unwelcoming to workers with disabilities, a survey by a civic labor group found, underscoring a gap between steadily rising employment figures and the reality faced by many workers with disabilities. According to the poll released Sunday by nonprofit advocacy group Gapjil 119, 76.7 percent of 1,000 respondents aged 19 or older said Korea is not a society where people with disabilities can work comfortably. The sentiment was strongest at small private firms with fewer than five employees, at 85.7 percent, compared to 70.3 percent at larger companies with 300 or more employees, and 69.9 percent at public institutions. Women were more likely to say that workplaces were unwelcoming, with 81.2 percent agreeing that it was a problem, compared to 72.5 percent of men. Nearly half of respondents — 46.2 percent — said their workplace harbors bias or a discriminatory atmosphere toward hiring people with disabilities, while 51 percent said their workplace lacks barrier-free spaces. Derogatory or mocking language toward people with disabilities was also a reali
