Health ministry holds Seoul fair for products made by severely disabled workers

The Ministry of Health and Welfare held a two-day fair in Seoul from October 6 showcasing goods made by workers with severe disabilities, drawing 105 production facilities to the aT Center in Yangjae-dong for the third edition of the event.

"The single product we choose can become a chance to work for someone with a severe disability, and beyond that a foundation for independence and social participation," said Eun Seong-ho, head of the ministry's Population and Social Service Policy Office. "I hope this fair lets people experience the quality and value of these products directly, and that valuable consumption — choosing products made by severely disabled people — spreads further."

Under the preferential purchase system, public institutions must buy at least 1.1 percent of their total spending on goods, services and contracts from facilities that employ people with severe disabilities. In 2025, 1,030 public institutions met that threshold at a rate of 1.12 percent, and 15,682 workers with disabilities were employed across 819 production facilities, of whom 14,297 have severe disabilities.

The fair also arranged one-to-one purchase consultations between public buyers and producers, matching facilities with agencies based on the items and budgets those agencies had indicated in advance. Fifty-nine public institutions and 76 production facilities took part in about 240 consultation sessions.