The DPRK has been enforcing social policies for the disabled since long ago.

Through the Labour Law for the Workers and Office Employees in North Korea on June 24, 1946, President Kim Il Sung put forward a policy to provide living conditions to the people who were not able to work due to accident or disease, thus starting the work of protecting the disabled. Kim Il Sung advanced it as the popular policy of the Workers’ Party of Korea and the DPRK government to treat preferentially the people of distinguished service including the ex-soldiers who were wounded during the Fatherland Liberation War and take warm care of their life.

A corrective appliances factory was built in 1951, which was the war period, for those who became disabled due to the war and began to produce appliances for those with physical disabilities. It still continues production at the state expense.

In addition, in September 1959 schools for the deaf and dumb and the blind were built in every province of the country enabling all the disabled children to enjoy the benefit of free education to their heart’s content.

The Korean Federation for the Protection of the Disabled was organized in 1998. The central committee of the federation regards it as the main of its work to take responsible care of health of the disabled. Relative organs including the Deaf Association of Korea, the Korea Rehabilitation Centre for Children with Disabilities, the Blind Association of Korea, the Korean Company for Supporting the Disabled, the Korean Sports Association of the Disabled, the Korean Art Association of the Disabled and so on were organized under the federation, and they contribute to the rehabilitation, social activity and cultural and emotional life of the disabled.

The DPRK Law on Protecting the Disabled was adopted on June 18, 2003 and was amended and supplemented in November 2013 and 2023 to legally and fully guarantee the rights of the people with disabilities.

Rehabilitation system for the disabled is established and, as a result, they enjoy benefit of the system.

Sanatoriums for different rehabilitation and medical treatment were built in many parts of the country and the state pays all charges including their treatment and trip.

Those with disabilities receive rehabilitative treatment free of charge at sanatoriums. Modern Munsu Rehabilitation Clinic was built in Pyongyang in 2013 to provide them with comprehensive services. And also early disclose and diagnosis, registration and treatment measures are taken to prevent disabilities in work due to disease.

Facilities are furnished for the disabled in the modern buildings that are newly built.

Several facilities including security counters, toilets and road for exclusive use for the disabled are furnished at the Pyongyang International Airport. There is a special reading room for the disabled at the Sci-Tech Complex. In the room the deaf and the blind can peruse necessary scientific and technical materials like ordinary people by the help of video and audio guide programmes.

The disabled in the DPRK enjoy social benefits as same as the ordinary ones. They have different jobs like hair-cutting, beauty art, dress making, food processing, carpentry and so on according to their hobbies and hopes.

They also take part in sports and art activities.

Visiting local places of the DPRK and having talks with them, foreign experts and western media including the AP and APTN confirmed that rights, dignity and interests of the disabled are secured by law and in practice thanks to the correct policy of the WPK and the DPRK government.