By Kim Rahn
Staff Reporter
About 20 visually impaired people rallied atop the National Human Rights Commission building in central Seoul Thursday, calling for the constitutionality of the law allowing only the blind the license for massage therapists.
They occupied the rooftop of the building by locking the door and pouring thinner on the door, so that people could not gain access. They hung a placard that read: ``The government should guarantee the blind the masseur license.''
They claimed the Constitutional Court should rule on the Medical Law, which grants exclusive rights for the masseur license to the visually impaired.
The demonstration has come as the court is to make a ruling about the law soon, following a petition from sports massage therapists who could not get the license.
In May 2006, the court previously ruled that the law is unconstitutional, saying it interfered with people's right to choose their occupation. But visually disabled masseurs strongly protested, claiming the decision deprived them of their only viable means of living. Several people committed suicide.
Following a strong backlash, the government revised the Medical Law four months later to give them almost the same exclusive right. Then, sports massage therapists filed the petition again, and the court is now examining the constitutionality of the revised law.
The demonstrators claimed the court should decide the law is constitutional. ``Blind people cannot get a job even though they receive college-level education. Depriving us of the exclusive right is depriving us of the only means of making a living,'' they said.
They said they decided to rally at the commission building, as the commission has done nothing when their right to live is menaced. They claimed the commission head should promise to prepare measures for the blind.
According to the Korea Masseur Association, 13,000 among the nation's 250,000 visually impaired people are engaged in the massage business.