Women : Society : News : The Hankyoreh

“I couldn’t eat because I was attending class.” YouTuber Kim Ji-woo (22), who runs the YouTube channel “Roll, Roll, Roll,” entered the auditorium with her mouth open and smiling. He said he couldn’t eat a meal because of various college classes and filming, so he ate snacks. He gently drove an electric wheelchair into the spacious auditorium without a chin, nibbled a snack, and finished preparations for the interview. He met along with Amnesty with Mr. Kim on the 5th at the Yeum Art Hall of the Korean Cultural Arts Center for the Disabled in Jongno-gu, Seoul. He is a 7-year-old YouTuber and wheelchair user with cerebral palsy. He uploads his daily life as a disabled person on YouTube. ‘What if there were wheelchairs in the Joseon Dynasty?’ Great content created by Mr Kim, such as ‘playing in the water in a wheelchair’, encourages people with disabilities to reveal themselves. In the episode ‘Can I ride a plane in a wheelchair’, released on the 6th, the process of a disabled person using an electric wheelchair boarding a plane is live. It is ‘news’ for non-disabled people to separate an electric wheelchair battery, move the battery into the cabin, move the wheelchair into luggage, and move in an airplane wheelchair. In the video, Mr Kim raised his thumb and said, “The board was completed safely.” ‘How can I tell a disability story in an easy and fun way?’ This is why Kim started YouTube. “Non-disabled people treat disability as something that is irrelevant or distant from me. People seem to think disability shouldn’t even be mentioned. I make a video with the idea that I need to show often and get people used (with a disability).” By watching Kim’s content that deals with disability in a pleasant way, people with disabilities also discover colorful aspects of life. Before making the video, Mr Kim said he thought he was a “lonely and strange person”. “There are a lot of comments on the video. ‘I had a similar thing too’, ‘I felt the same way’. I thought the appearance of a person called me brought out a story that wheelchair users hadn’t been able to before.” This is why Kim fell in love with being a YouTuber. Mr Kim says there are things that can only be seen through the eyes of a minority. “I went on a trip abroad to Taiwan and Hong Kong in February. When you’re traveling in a wheelchair, you can quickly notice things that other people might not, like how well equipped public transport is and what the bathrooms are like.” Public transport was Taiwan well guided with information for people with disabilities, such as elevator locations and wheelchair routes. Disabled toilets were also easy to find. It was particularly impressive that there was a tour guide booklet for the disabled their appearance. Mr Kim dreams of becoming a ‘traveling YouTuber’ who takes videos showing the right to move in different countries. I believe that as the disabled become more visible, the disability will not a critical factor in dealing with others.

YouTuber Kim Ji-woo (22), who runs the YouTube channel ‘Roll, Roll, Go,’ smiles near the Korea Center for Culture and Arts for the Disabled in Jongno-gu, Seoul on the 5th. Provided by Amnesty International Korea

The more minority, the more valuable ‘existence like me’ is. Last year, Mr. Kim with a physically disabled 9 year old while working on ‘Wheelcoo’ (decorating a wheelchair). Did you feel that you were different from others while living at school with non-disabled people? The child said he had a personality that made it difficult to talk to people. Kim met with the child once a month to design and decorate the wheelchair together. When we met for the third time, the child said. “I think my friends would be jealous of me. I want to show my friends quickly.” The moment he heard that, Mr Kim said he felt great strength from the child. The same goes for Kim. Take courage from others who are like you. For Kim, the scene where Ha Ji-seong, an actor in the play Teenage Dick on the 28th, received the acting award in the theater category at the 59th Baeksang Arts Awards, remains in my memory for a long time. Ha Ji-seong, a disabled person with cerebral palsy, went on stage in an electric wheelchair at the time and said, “I feel like I have become the student body president among non-disabled students.” It makes disability content ‘desirable’, but life as a disabled person is sometimes difficult even for Kim. At the ‘Girls on Wheels – Create a project like me’ speaking concert held at the Muui cooperative in Seongdong-gu, Seoul last April, Mr Kim said, “It’s hard”, and he rarely says it. At that time, there were about 20 women in wheelchairs in the audience. “I was asked if disability was a driving force or a hindrance. Normally, I would have said that was my strength, but on that day, I said, ‘Honestly, I’m having a bit of a hard time’.” Although she does not want to appear weak in front of people who have a prejudice that people with disabilities would be difficult and depressed, she was able to be honest with people who had the same experience as herself. “I thought that showing only good things unconditionally is not the answer in order to be able to protect myself and keep myself as I am. It’s important to be able to say it’s hard.” To do this, you need a safe place and someone who understands you. Mr Kim sees signs that society’s attitude towards the disabled is improving, albeit a little at a time. He said, “Even 10 years ago, when I was in a wheelchair, workers showed distaste or were confused. But these days, they usher you to your seat instantly without showing any discomfort. ” Kim thinks that although society changes slowly, individuals can change easily and quickly. “If you look at it small, a lot of things are changing.” But there are still people who hate minorities. “One day, many people immediately flocked to my YouTube channel and posted malicious comments. Although I’m far from that kind of thing, it bothered me.” For three days he was off the internet, meeting friends and reading books. The channel’s comment window was already silent. Kim felt at that time. “Hating is harder than liking or loving something.” Mr. Kim said that the only thing that affects him is constant. That’s why I have a hard heart even with malicious comments. Mr. Kim says “It’s no use hating you. Because that hate can’t be sustained. ” Correspondent Lee Ju-bin ie@hani.co.kr