2019.04.04 15:25
Kim Ye-won, a busy disability-rights lawyer and founder of the Disability Rights Law Center, balances a demanding professional life with caring for three children. Recognized with multiple awards and the recent book ‘누구나 꽃이 피었습니다’ that aims to popularize disability rights, she travels nationwide to represent victims, often working under difficult conditions (from writing filings on trains to conducting phone consultations in unheated rooms) while remaining resolute and upbeat about her mission.
Her commitment to disability rights deepened after handling the notorious Wonju Gurae ‘‘Sarang’s House’ case, in which dozens of people with disabilities suffered long-term abuse, confinement and disappearance. The shocking details and the light sentencing of the perpetrator provoked a deep sense of outrage in Kim and convinced her that litigation and public advocacy were necessary to protect vulnerable people and expose systemic failures in care and oversight.
Dissatisfied with limits on public institutions, Kim established the Disability Rights Law Center in 2017 to provide more mobile, accessible legal help beyond Seoul and to reach victims who do not know how or where to report abuses. She has handled over a thousand consultations, serves as a steadfast legal companion for clients, and focuses on achieving systemic change and practical remedies—even when immediate legal options are limited—so that victims can rebuild their lives and future harms can be prevented.
Original source: 장애 차별에 분노하는 변호사, ‘장애인권’을 말하다 (Source: the news outlet; please refer to the original article.)
