Seoul expo shows products made by workers with severe disabilities
In short
South Korea's Ministry of Health and Welfare is holding the 2026 Severe Disability Products Expo at the aT Center in Yangjae-dong, Seoul, on Oct 6–7, with 105 production facilities taking part. The expo features food, coffee and tea, eco-friendly household goods and electric and electronic products, plus purchase consultations between public institutions and the facilities. Under a special law, public institutions must buy at least 1.1% of their annual goods and services from such facilities; the 2025 ratio across 1,030 institutions was 1.12%.
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The Ministry of Health and Welfare opened the 2026 Severe Disability Products Expo on Oct 6 at the first exhibition hall of the aT Center in Yangjae-dong, Seoul, and it runs through Oct 7, the ministry said. The expo is being held for the third year, with 105 production facilities taking part. [ 2 ]
Participating facilities are showing baked goods, processed foods, coffee and tea, eco-friendly household goods and electric and electronic products, according to the ministry. Cleaning, appliance-washing and disinfection services provided by specialised staff are also on display. Newsis highlighted in its headline that visitors can try coffee and electronic products made by people with severe disabilities. [ 1 , 2 ]
The expo also hosts one-on-one purchase consultations linking public institutions with production facilities. The ministry said 59 public institutions and 76 production facilities were matched in advance, producing about 240 consultations. Under the Special Act on Preferential Purchase of Products Manufactured by Severely Disabled Persons, public institutions must each year buy at least 1.1% of their total purchases of products and services from such facilities. In 2025, the ratio across 1,030 public institutions was 1.12%. [ 2 ]
As of last year, 819 production facilities employed 15,682 workers with disabilities, including 14,297 people with severe disabilities, the ministry said. [ 2 ]
Thirty ministry commendations were to be presented at the expo. The top awards, based on 2025 performance, go to the Korea Social Welfare Council (507 million won, 8.05%), Seoul Medical Center (704 million won, 6.07%), Suwon City (9.72 billion won, 4.57%) and the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency (172 million won, 4.01%). Excellence awards go to the National Museum Cultural Heritage Foundation and the Northeast Asian History Foundation for large improvements, and to the National Tax Service and Gunpo City for exceeding the mandatory ratio for five or more consecutive years. [ 2 ]
Eun Seong-ho, head of the ministry's population and social service policy office, said a single product choice can become an opportunity to work for people with severe disabilities and a basis for independence and social participation, and expressed hope that visitors would experience the quality and value of the products directly and that such purchasing would spread. [ 2 ]
Why it matters
The expo is tied to a legal purchasing quota meant to channel public procurement to facilities that employ people with severe disabilities, so the consultations held there can translate into work for those facilities. The ministry said 819 such facilities currently employ 15,682 workers with disabilities, making public buying decisions a direct factor in those jobs.
Key facts
- The Ministry of Health and Welfare is holding the 2026 Severe Disability Products Expo at the aT Center's first exhibition hall in Yangjae-dong, Seoul, from Oct 6 to Oct 7. [ 2 ]
- The expo, now in its third year, involves 105 production facilities, according to the ministry. [ 2 ]
- Items on show include baked goods, processed foods, coffee and tea, eco-friendly household goods and electric and electronic products, along with cleaning, appliance-washing and disinfection services. [ 2 ]
- One-on-one purchase consultations connect public institutions with production facilities; 59 public institutions and 76 facilities were matched in advance for about 240 consultations. [ 2 ]
- Under the Special Act on Preferential Purchase of Products Manufactured by Severely Disabled Persons, public institutions must buy at least 1.1% of their total annual purchases of products and services from such facilities. [ 2 ]
- In 2025, the preferential purchase ratio across 1,030 public institutions was 1.12%, and 819 production facilities employed 15,682 workers with disabilities, of whom 14,297 were severely disabled. [ 2 ]
- Thirty ministry commendations were to be awarded at the expo, with top prizes going to the Korea Social Welfare Council, Seoul Medical Center, Suwon City and the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency. [ 2 ]
Confirmed by several sources
Still unclear
- Whether any purchase contracts were signed or are expected as a result of the roughly 240 consultations held at the expo. The ministry document describes consultations being arranged but gives no outcomes or contract figures.
- Newsis's full account of the expo beyond its headline. The article text supplied for Newsis's item did not concern the expo, so only its headline could be used.