Officials pose for a photo at the first barrier-free facility certification ceremony held Tuesday at Crepe Boy cafe in Jongno-gu, Seoul. From fourth from left: Kim Eun-young, director of the Jongno Disability Welfare Center; Hong Ye-il, owner of Crepe Boy; Cho Dae-gyu, CEO of Kyobo Life; and Cho Seok-young, chairman of the Korea Association of Welfare Centers for the Persons with Disabilities, along with Kyobo Life volunteer staff. [Kyobo Life]
Officials pose for a photo at the first barrier-free facility certification ceremony held Tuesday at Crepe Boy cafe in Jongno-gu, Seoul. From fourth from left: Kim Eun-young, director of the Jongno Disability Welfare Center; Hong Ye-il, owner of Crepe Boy; Cho Dae-gyu, CEO of Kyobo Life; and Cho Seok-young, chairman of the Korea Association of Welfare Centers for the Persons with Disabilities, along with Kyobo Life volunteer staff. [Kyobo Life]

Kyobo Life has launched a project to create a neighborhood barrier-free map, helping people with mobility challenges — including wheelchair users and the elderly — easily locate accessible facilities.

The insurer announced Wednesday that it had presented its first barrier-free facility certificate to Crepe Boy, a cafe near Tongin Market in Jongno-gu, Seoul.

"Barrier-free" refers to an environment in which steps, thresholds and other physical obstacles have been removed so that people with mobility impairments can safely and conveniently use buildings and facilities.

The barrier-free map is a new public-interest project Kyobo Life is pursuing this year together with its affiliated Kyobo Education Foundation. It identifies everyday establishments — restaurants, cafes, convenience stores and restrooms — that mobility-impaired individuals can use without difficulty, and plots them on a map.

Kyobo Life is partnering with the Korea Association of Welfare Centers for the Persons with Disabilities and disability welfare centers nationwide to connect employee volunteers with nearby welfare centers. Before heading out to inspect candidate sites for the map, volunteers receive training on disability awareness and wheelchair use.

The barrier-free map is available on the Kyobo Education Foundation's website and will soon be accessible through the Kyobo Life app as well. The company plans to add 120 more barrier-free facilities to the map by year-end.

"Helping everyone live a comfortable daily life is directly aligned with the essential value of life insurance, and we will carry out our public-interest work with sincerity," CEO Cho Dae-gyu said.

Kyobo Life also pursues a range of social contribution activities under its vision of "a healthy society, a world we share," including support for children's health, youth education and development, and environmental education.


psj@heraldcorp.com