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Good practice Imported

Nationwide Accessible Kiosk Mandate

South Korea · Seoul · See the South Korea profile · See the Seoul profile

Evidence: Descriptive / self-reported Top 23% 92/100 · Ask Evidence Copilot about this practice

A 2021 disability-discrimination law amendment now requires accessible self-service kiosks nationwide from January 2026, mandating voice guidance, braille/raised buttons and adjustable height, with fines up to KRW 30 million for non-compliant businesses.

KRW 9.2 billion (~$6.66M)
Accelerated-rollout government funding (2025)
161 of 540 (30%)
People with disabilities reporting kiosk difficulty (2024-2025)
80.1%
Citing automated ordering machines as greatest challenge
44.8% of 277
Kiosk users preferring staff-assisted transactions
KRW 30 million (~$27,100)
Maximum non-compliance fine
Nationwide Accessible Kiosk Mandate

Details

Maturity
Established
Promoter
Ministry of Health and Welfare & Ministry of Justice, Republic of Korea
Period
2021–2026 (phased; nationwide from January 2026)
Keywords
public sector, disability rights, accessibility, self-service kiosks, retail

Context

A 2021 amendment to South Korea's Act on the Prohibition of Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities requires accessible self-service kiosks, phased from large public institutions (2024) to nationwide coverage after the grace period ended 28 January 2026.

Activities

Compliant kiosks must offer voice guidance, braille or raised buttons, and adjustable screen height/angle, plus sign-language, text or audio communication options; the Ministry of Justice enforces the mandate with fines up to KRW 30 million for non-compliance.

Results

In May 2025 the government announced a KRW 9.2 billion (~USD 6.66 million) project to accelerate accessible-kiosk rollout. A 2024-2025 Ministry of Health and Welfare survey found 161 of 540 people with disabilities reported difficulty using kiosks, with 80.1% citing automated ordering machines as the greatest challenge.

Conclusions

44.8% of 277 kiosk users still preferred staff-assisted transactions, evidence that legal mandates alone have not eliminated usability friction even as the mandate reaches full nationwide coverage.

Implementation
Indicative cost
High (€500k–€5M)
Time to results
Medium (1–3 years)
Staffing & skills
Ministry of Health and Welfare, Ministry of Justice (enforcement), National Human Rights Commission of Korea (complaints route)

Conditions for success

  • phased implementation timeline with escalating scope
  • dedicated accelerated-rollout funding

Common failure modes

  • legal mandate alone has not eliminated usability friction — many users still report difficulty or prefer staff assistance

Commonly funded by

National / regional programmes

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Data sources

Where this practice's information was retrieved from, and when.

Attachments

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