S. Korean civic group to build rehabilitation center for disabled in N. Korea

SEOUL, March 5 (Yonhap) -- A Seoul-based welfare group said Thursday that it will
break ground for construction of a rehabilitation center for disabled North
Koreans in Pyongyang in May.

The joint project was initially scheduled to begin last year but was put off due
to rising political tensions between the two Koreas, said Sue Kinsler, a
Korean-American and lead organizer with the Lighthouse Foundation.
"We reached a consensus with North Korea to go ahead with this unless there is a
war," Kinsler, who visited Pyongyang last month, said.
The organization anticipates that construction of the building, with one story
underground and four above on a space of 3,600 square meters, will cost about 5
billion won (US$3.24 million).
Kinsler said organizers are raising funds from a number of sources, including the
South Korean government, churches and private companies, to be able to complete
the building by 2011.
The rehabilitation center will provide disabled North Korean citizens with
assessment tests of individual handicaps, treatment, occupational training and
equipment such as leg braces, artificial limbs and wheelchairs.
"In North Korea, autistic children and the mentally disabled are not classified
into different levels of seriousness. And there are many people who have had
their arms and legs amputated by explosives in the military," Kinsler said.
She said a ground-breaking date of around May 10 will likely be confirmed during
her next visit to Pyongyang on March 21.
According to the latest North Korean data available, there are about 760,000
disabled people out of the country's 23 million population. Kinsler said,
however, the actual figure is likely much higher, considering that an average 10
percent of every country's population suffers from physical handicaps.
Safety equipment in North Korea is also scarce, and its military service system
requires men to serve for 10 years, she noted.
hkim@yna.co.kr
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