Convenience store without wheelchair ramp...The Supreme Court will argue 'national responsibility'

[Anchor]
For those who use wheelchairs, even if you try to go to the convenience store in front of your house, you will have had a hard time because of the threshold.

Disabled people, who cannot enjoy convenience even at convenience stores, filed a lawsuit against the state, and the Supreme Court held a public hearing to conduct a dense hearing.

Reporter Kim Da-hyun reports.

[Reporter]
Several stairs rise in front of a convenience store in Seocho-dong, Seoul.

Even a narrow inner passageway, there is a lack of facilities for the disabled at a glance.

The situation is similar at the convenience store right next door.

[Im Mi-jin / Convenience store manager: I don't think it's going to be easy to install. Other regular customers are more uncomfortable....]

Disabled people who did not enjoy convenience even at convenience stores filed a lawsuit against the state and convenience stores six years ago.

The Enforcement Decree of the Convenience Act, which was applied from 1998 to the year before last, was applied only to facilities with an area of 300㎡ or more, but the right to access was violated because the state did not touch it early.

Both the first and second trials did not acknowledge the state's liability for compensation, but the Supreme Court held a public hearing of the en banc and began an in-depth hearing.

It is the first public hearing of the all-in-one panel in three years since 2021, and the first since Cho Hee-dae, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, took office.

The plaintiff stressed the government's responsibility, saying that until the revision of the enforcement ordinance, there were about 0.1-5% of convenience stores obligated to install ramps.

On the other hand, the defendant countered that the parent law gave broad discretion to the enforcement ordinance and that there were alternatives such as online shopping and hypermarkets.

After both sides' remarks, Supreme Court justices also asked a lot of questions.

He also rebuked the government for mentioning alternative measures, asking disabled people to stay at home and shop online.

The right to access facilities for the disabled is a basic right to enjoy, but detailed discussions are expected to continue among the Supreme Court justices as it is a matter that also meets social and economic costs such as the burden of small business owners.

If the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the plaintiff in this case, there is a prospect that there may be a series of lawsuits against the state over legislative delays.

I'm YTN's Kim Dahyun.

Reporter for shooting
: Choi Sung-hoon
Video editing: Yoon Yong-joon
Design: Lee Wonhee