Affiliated Institutions of Ministry of Agriculture Turn Blind Eye to Mandatory Employment of Disabled Workers

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Seo Dong-young] Affiliated institutions under the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs have been found to be failing to meet mandatory employment quotas for disabled workers, with disability employment burden payments increasing up to six-fold over the past five years.

The disability employment burden payment is a public charge that business owners with an obligation to hire disabled workers must pay when they fail to meet the mandatory employment quota.

According to materials on "Disability Employment Burden Payment Status for the Past 5 Years" submitted by affiliated institutions under the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs to Rep. Kim Young-jin (Democratic Party of Korea, Suwon District B) of the National Assembly's Agriculture, Food, Rural Affairs and Fisheries Committee, the Livestock Quarantine and Disease Response Division paid approximately 237.89 million won in disability employment burden payments, the Korea Agro-Fisheries and Food Trade Corporation paid approximately 191.89 million won, and the Korea Forest Service paid approximately 146 million won.

In the case of the Korea Agro-Fisheries and Food Trade Corporation, disability employment burden payments increased annually. From 10.33 million won in 2015, 22.02 million won in 2016, 58.49 million won in 2017, 34.96 million won in 2018, to 66.07 million won in 2019, the disability employment burden payments in 2019 increased approximately six-fold compared to 2015.

Additionally, the Livestock Quarantine and Disease Response Division, which had the highest disability employment burden payments over the five-year period, showed a significant increase from 18.59 million won in 2015 to 71.22 million won in 2018. Although it decreased to 23.05 million won in 2019, it is still paying substantial employment burden payments.

Rep. Kim Young-jin stated, "While the importance of disabled employment has been increasing since the mandatory employment ratio for disabled workers was raised to 3.4% in 2019, the reality is that the employment rate of disabled workers in affiliated institutions under the Ministry of Agriculture remains low. Public institutions must first take responsibility and comply with the mandatory employment of disabled workers, and improvement measures are needed so that the disability employment burden payments charged to taxpayers can be used more effectively and efficiently."