Blind man unable to ride bus because of his seeing-eye dog

When a man named Mr. Kim tried to get on the bus this past weekend, he was shocked to find that he was denied a ride.

Mr. Kim is a blind man who requires the aid of a seeing-eye dog. This past weekend, when Mr. Kim boarded the bus, the driver yelled at him to get off, saying that he could not ride the vehicle with a dog.�

According to the Welfare of the Disabled Persons Act, if a disabled person is denied his right to use public transportation, the person or people responsible may be fined up to 3 million won (approx. $2,930 US dollars). Yet even when Mr. Kim informed the driver of this law, it made no difference.�

"[The bus driver] said he would pay the fine so I should just leave right away; then he stood up from his seat," Mr. Kim shared. He added, "I was very intimidated."

It was only until Mr. Kim's fellow passengers helped in protesting on his behalf that he was able to use the bus. The next day, however, he had difficulty riding the bus yet again. According to Mr. Kim, as soon as the bus driver saw him and his dog, he closed the doors. Mr. Kim's father, who was with him at the time, had to pursue the bus for it to finally accept them as passengers.

Mr. Kim explain his feelings, saying, "It was very scary. Even now I have a trauma, a fear of getting on buses."�

Mr. Kim has written about his situation on the bus company's homepage, and received an apology in return, as well as a promise that it would never happen again after people who read his story wrote words of criticism against the company.�

A representative from the Korean Visually Impaired Alliance commented on the situation, stating, "These cases in which [a person with a disability] is rejected happens often. I believe that we as a society need to have a greater concern and awareness of human rights for the sake of [our disabled members]."�

Mr. Kim has submitted a petition to the National Human Rights Commission of the Republic of Korea, bringing light to discrimination that disabled people face. The commission is currently investigating into the issue.�