The government is promoting a project to improve kiosks so that socially vulnerable people can use them conveniently.
On the afternoon of the 22nd, the Ministry of Science and ICT held an explanatory session at the Korea Intelligent Information Society Agency office in Mugyo-dong, Seoul, targeting manufacturers and others for its 'barrier-free kiosk technology and dissemination support project' aimed at removing inconveniences experienced by socially vulnerable groups, such as elderly and disabled individuals. This project focuses on supporting the technical capabilities for manufacturing barrier-free kiosks and aiding the device functionality verification process. The total budget of 9.2 billion won for the project has been reflected in the supplementary budget.
In accordance with the amendments to the Act on the Prohibition of Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities and the Basic Act on Intelligent Information, the installation of 'barrier-free kiosks' for the convenience of digital vulnerable groups, such as the disabled and elderly, has been institutionalized. The Ministry of Science and ICT noted, "Due to the difficulty in supplying devices, the burden on kiosk installers and operators, such as small business owners and self-employed individuals, is increasing," and stated, "We plan to promote technical consulting to disseminate and expand barrier-free technology targeted at kiosk manufacturing and development companies."
Technical support consulting for barrier-free kiosk technology will be conducted for about 50 small kiosk development and manufacturing corporations. The Ministry of Science and ICT plans to support this project to shorten the manufacturing and development period for barrier-free kiosks by small kiosk developers and manufacturers and to minimize trial and error so that various barrier-free devices can be supplied to the market quickly.
The Ministry of Science and ICT particularly sees that digital vulnerable groups have difficulties using kiosks installed at 'unmanned stores' and 'Financial 365 corners.' It is investing 1.5 billion won of the project budget to prioritize the supply of barrier-free devices to these locations.
Support will also be provided for hardware and software (HW·SW) technology that can convert existing kiosks into barrier-free devices. For instance, braille keypads can be attached, or additional monitors can be installed to allow wheelchair users to operate them.
Barrier-free kiosks are also scheduled to be supplied to small business owners through the Smart Store project of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups. The Ministry of Science and ICT plans to support the verification of whether the barrier-free functions of the devices distributed through the project are met.
Song Sang-hoon, head of the Information and Communication Policy Bureau at the Ministry of Science and ICT, said, "Through this supplementary budget project, the supply of barrier-free kiosks will increase, alleviating the burden of adopting barrier-free kiosks for self-employed individuals and small business owners," and added, "The spread of barrier-free kiosks is expected to accelerate, significantly enhancing the convenience of kiosk use for digital vulnerable groups, such as the elderly and disabled."