Disability rights organizations across the country have taken to the streets to protest against the disability grading system, which symbolizes the government's control and discrimination against people with disabilities, and its subsequent system, the Comprehensive Survey of Service Support.

Various disability rights groups, including the National Coalition for the Abolition of Disability Discrimination (hereinafter referred to as the National Coalition), held simultaneous press conferences in front of 13 National Pension Service regional headquarters nationwide at 2 p.m. on May 29, demanding the substantive abolition of the disability grading system and a complete overhaul of the system.

In Gwangju, disability rights organizations from Jeollabuk-do and Jeollanam-do, centered around the Gwangju Coalition for the Abolition of Disability Discrimination, gathered in front of the National Pension Service Gwangju Regional Headquarters. They raised their voices in anger, stating, "The lives of people with disabilities cannot be determined by scores."

Despite the government's announcement in 2019 of a 'gradual abolition' of the disability grading system, services for activities are still being determined through a scoring system ranging from 1 to 15 under the name of 'degree of disability'.

Participants in the press conference criticized the government, stating, "The government has only changed the name, but the essence of discrimination has not changed at all."

The core issue lies in the institutional mechanism called the 'Comprehensive Survey of Service Support'. This survey quantifies the lives of people with disabilities into scores, arbitrarily limiting essential support for a dignified life. Throughout the survey process, there have been human rights violations such as remote surveys, disconnected questions from reality, and even threats and exclusion of survey participants. There is a structural unfairness and lack of transparency in the system, leading to significant differences in support times depending on the region under the same conditions.

The National Coalition clearly pointed out the responsibility of the National Pension Service. They criticized the National Pension Service, stating, "As the delegated operator of the activity support system, it has a responsibility to correct institutional distortions," and strongly criticized the National Pension Service for hiding the comprehensive survey table ruling of the High Court in 2022, calling it anti-human rights and anti-social.

The Gwangju press conference was not just a simple protest but a platform for people with disabilities to tell their own stories and engage in a struggle to overcome the barriers of the system. They demanded the genuine fulfillment of the country's responsibility and fundamental reform of the system, stating, "We are not here to seek sympathy. We demand the right to live as human beings in this society."

The National Coalition officially declared a struggle with the slogan "Real abolition of the disability grading system, destruction of the comprehensive manipulation segments" on April 16 and secured a promise of system improvement through a meeting with the Minister of Health and Welfare on May 9. However, they emphasized the need for action over words and made it clear that it is now the turn of the National Pension Service to respond.