6 in 10 Koreans Perceive Disability Discrimination in Society

According to the 'Changes in Disability Awareness Seen Through Statistics' report released by the Korea Institute for Disability Development (KID) ahead of Disability Day, the perceived rate of disability discrimination in 2025 was 59.0%. This translates to about 6 out of 10 citizens believing that people with disabilities face discrimination in society. This figure highlights public awareness of the inequality experienced by disabled individuals. The perception rate has declined by 8.9 percentage points from 67.9% in 2019. In 2025, non-disabled individuals reported a 59.2% perception of disability discrimination, a higher rate than the 56.7% reported by disabled individuals.

In 2024, the rate of experiencing hate speech targeting people with disabilities was 22.1%. The opposition rate among non-disabled individuals to the installation of facilities for people with disabilities decreased from 15.2% in 2019 to 12.3% in 2025. In a survey on perceptions of 'disabled people having lower labor productivity than non-disabled people' as of 2024, companies that hired disabled individuals showed lower negative perceptions than those without such employment experience. The rate of experiencing cultural diversity education was 21.7%.

Lee Kyung-hye, President of the Korea Institute for Disability Development, pointed out that high perceived discrimination and low education experience are areas needing improvement.