The Seoul Metropolitan Government will replace approximately 5000 public unmanned information terminals (kiosks) with digital, vulnerable-friendly types by the first half of next year.
On the 3rd, the city of Seoul plans to identify the status of all kiosks owned by the city, autonomous districts, public corporations, corporations, and investment and contribution organizations and first replace them with products that take accessibility and convenience for the disabled and the elderly into consideration.
The total number of public kiosks that Seoul City is aware of is approximately 5371. Of these, 108 units were installed in Seoul, 3684 units were installed in city-affiliated organizations such as the Seoul Transportation Corporation, and 943 and 636 units were installed in autonomous districts and district-affiliated organizations, respectively.
Of these, 81.9 kiosks, or 4401% of all kiosks, are considered to be in need of replacement.
After determining the current situation through a comprehensive survey, the city plans to sequentially improve it by replacing it with products that have passed the accessibility verification standards according to the Ministry of Science and ICT-related notices or by adding related software (SW).
The goal is to provide a public kiosk service that is height-adjustable for disabled people in wheelchairs, provides features such as voice and electronic guidance, and has larger fonts and is not complicated for the elderly.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government began replacing kiosks about a year ahead of the government's policy to increase information accessibility for the disabled and the elderly.
Previously, the government revised the 'Framework Act on Intelligent Informatization' early this year following the revision of the Enforcement Decree of the 'Prohibition of Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities Act' on January 1 last year to increase the convenience of information access and use for the disabled and the elderly. The key is to improve accessibility for the disabled to kiosks and mobile application software used by the disabled and the elderly.
Starting from January 1 of this year, it will be implemented first in public institutions, and will be applied in stages to the private sector depending on size. However, for kiosks installed before the enforcement date of the law, application was postponed for two years until January 28, 2026.
As the pace of change in the digital environment accelerates, the city of Seoul believes that an inclusive policy for the digitally disadvantaged, such as the disabled and the elderly, is urgently needed.
In particular, expanding accessibility to public kiosks corresponds to the basic right to digital use among the '6 basic digital rights' proposed by Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon.
Mayor Oh presented 'six basic digital rights' in the keynote lecture at the 'Korea IT Service Association' 2024 Spring Conference held at the end of last month. This is a concept that applies the city administration philosophy of accompanying the weak to a people-centered smart city.
Park Jin-young, Digital Policy Director of Seoul City, said, “Seoul City’s policy is to ensure that all citizens can enjoy basic digital life with basic digital rights in six areas without being left out.” He added, “This year, we will closely understand the current status of public kiosks in Seoul, create guidelines, and coordinate with the budget department.” “We will discuss it well and reflect it in next year’s plan,” he said.