Number of non-compliant agencies rises from 2 in 2025 to 6 in 2026

Baek Jong-heon calls for job development tailored to disability types

More agencies under the Ministry of Health and Welfare — the government body responsible for disability policy — failed to meet the legally mandated disability employment quota this year than the year before, new data shows.

According to materials submitted to People Power Party lawmaker Baek Jong-heon of the National Assembly's Health and Welfare Committee, six of the ministry's 29 affiliated agencies fell short of the mandatory disability hiring rate in 2026, up from two in 2025.

Under the Act on the Employment Promotion and Vocational Rehabilitation of Persons with Disabilities, public institutions are required to fill a set proportion of their regular workforce with people with disabilities. The mandatory rate for public institutions has stood at 3.8 percent since 2024.

The six non-compliant agencies are the National Medical Center, the Osong Medical Innovation Foundation, the Korea Institute for Healthcare Accreditation, the National Bioethics Policy Institute, the Korea Foundation for Suicide Prevention and the Central Social Service Agency.

[Source: Ministry of Health and Welfare, compiled by Rep. Baek Jong-heon's office]
[Source: Ministry of Health and Welfare, compiled by Rep. Baek Jong-heon's office]

The National Medical Center has failed to meet the quota for four consecutive years, while the Korea Foundation for Suicide Prevention has missed it for two consecutive years.

Agencies that fall short of the mandatory disability employment rate must pay a levy based on the number of positions left unfilled.

"The Ministry of Health and Welfare is the lead agency responsible for disability policy in Korea and for expanding the independence and social participation of people with disabilities," Baek said. "The fact that its affiliated agencies cannot even meet the minimum legally required disability employment rate — and that the number of non-compliant agencies has actually grown — undermines the credibility of the very institutions entrusted with disability policy."

Baek said the agencies should not treat the levy as a substitute for accountability. "They need to examine why each agency is falling short and actively correct the problem, while also developing jobs suited to different types of disabilities and expanding hiring to create real employment opportunities for people with disabilities," he said.


thlee@heraldcorp.com