This photo provided by Geumcheon District Office shows a building features a wheelchair ramp.
SEOUL, April 27 (Korea Bizwire) — Starting next month, new or renovated cafes and restaurants with a floor space of more than 50 square meters will be required to have convenience facilities for the disabled installed, including wheelchair ramps.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare said Tuesday that a partial revision of the enforcement ordinance of the law concerning the improvement of convenience for the disabled, elderly and pregnant women had passed at a recent Cabinet meeting.
It has been pointed out that the disabled using wheelchairs should have better access to smaller neighborhood convenience facilities. With this in mind, the government expanded the scope of facilities required to have convenience facilities for the disabled installed.
Under the new enforcement ordinance, supermarkets, daily necessity stores, restaurants, bakery shops and beauty salons with a floor space of more than 50 square meters; general clinics, dental clinics, oriental medical clinics, maternity centers and postpartum clinics with a floor space exceeding 100 square meters; and public bathhouses with a floor space exceeding 300 square meters will be required to have convenience facilities for the disabled installed.
To minimize the economic burden of existing small businesses, the new enforcement ordinance will be applied to facilities that will be newly built, expanded or renovated from May 1.
Lina Jang (linajang@koreabizwire.com)
