Yeongdeungpo-gu to hold 11th Wheel the World welfare and culture festival

Yeongdeungpo-gu in Seoul announced Wednesday that it will hold the 11th Wheel the World Welfare and Culture Festival on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Mullae Neighborhood Park.

The name "Wheel the World" evokes rolling the world forward on wheels — a vision of a society where all residents, regardless of disability, can move freely and respect one another's dignity and rights. Now in its 11th year, the festival is Yeongdeungpo-gu's flagship human rights event bringing together people with and without disabilities.

This year's event will feature 38 participatory booths offering visitors hands-on experiences centered on diversity and inclusion. Highlights include human rights campaign booths using craft activities, quizzes and roulette wheels, a UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities awareness campaign and a mobility-accessibility quiz station. Visitors can also browse a vocational rehabilitation shop selling diffusers and handmade confections crafted by people with brain lesion disabilities, enjoy a free waffle booth run by individuals with developmental disabilities and their families, and shop a charity bazaar raising funds for disability welfare.

Cultural performances will feature a classical vocal ensemble, trot music dance acts and ocarina players from local community groups. The festival's centerpiece — the "Different or the Same — Human Rights Film Festival" — will then take the outdoor stage, screening five short human rights films under the autumn sky: three award-winning entries from the Korea Paralympic Smartphone Film Festival and two barrier-free films that break down barriers for people with disabilities.

A Yeongdeungpo-gu official said the district would do its utmost to ensure on-site safety and smooth operations, calling the event "a precious gathering where people with and without disabilities come together to share the values of human rights."