• 2020.08.31.
• 16:08　

Kim Ye-won, founder and sole operator of the non‑profit Disability Rights Law Center, has spent her legal career representing people who cannot advocate for themselves — pro bono. Though she was born with the loss of one eye, Kim says she only recognized the depth of systemic discrimination after becoming a lawyer. Her work combines individual litigation with policy research and institutional reform to protect the rights and dignity of marginalized groups.

High‑profile abuse and embezzlement cases, including the 2012 Wonju Girae Sarang’s House and the 2013 Hongcheon Siloam Pond House, convinced Kim that confronting direct violence is only part of the task. Many clients face severe communication barriers, so she insists on exhausting all methods to obtain testimony and access to justice — even using iris‑recognition technology to capture the statement of a client with profound motor and speech impairments when conventional methods failed.

Beyond litigation, Kim urges a shift in language and attitudes: replace the term “socially weak” with “social minorities” to avoid defining people by helplessness. She stresses the importance of equal, not patronizing, communication — for example, allowing visually impaired people to state their preferred mode of assistance — and envisions a society where diverse voices are heard and each person’s agency is respected.

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Original source: “‘사회적 약자’ 대신 ‘사회적 소수자’로 불러주세요” – 더나은미래 (Source: the news outlet; please refer to the original article.)