Original Source (JoongAng Ilbo via Naver News): Lotte Mart, refuses guide dog for person with disability..."The dog was scared and the volunteer cried"
Lotte Mart is currently under controversy after an eyewitness account was uploaded online that a Lotte Mart in Jamsil stopped a guide dog in training from entering. One netizen wrote on their Instagram post that an employee who appeared to be the manager blocked the guide dog in training from entering and raised their voice. The dog was said to have markings that it was a guide dog in training.
The Instagram post included photos of the dog where the dog's tail was slumped down and it evoked anger amongst netizens.
The eyewitness said, "They suddenly said that [the person] isn't even a person with disabilities and that how can they bring a dog. They raised their voice and the dog was chewing on the lead leash because it was anxious. The woman who brought the dog cried. They approved her to enter at the entrance but if a problem arose at the middle, shouldn't they have politely guided her? No matter how angry you are, is this the only way you could've guided her, it was very unfortunate."
According to the eyewitness account, the dog was going through puppy walking and went to the Lotte Mart in Jamsil. 'Puppy walking' is the process where you take a seven weeks old puppy that is a guide dog in training, entrust them at a typical home and for one year, the dog will receive training in socialization.
The dog in the pictures was wearing a orange vest with the Samsung logo and the words, "Guide Dog in Training" on the vest.
According to Article 40 of the Act on Welfare of Persons with Disabilities, "When a person with a disability accompanied by a guide dog with the mark of a guide dog intends to use the means of public transportation or enter public places, lodging facilities, restaurants, etc. where many people pass or gather, no one shall reject him/her without any justifiable ground." In the case where they are rejected with no justifiable reason, they'll be fined up to 3 million won (~ $2,710.27).
1. [+4976 / -54] It's just the difference between Samsung and Lotte...
2. [+3498 / -54] Seriously, the dog's expression is so sad ㅠㅠ I heard that for a service dog, when a person yells like that, they think that the person is mad because of them so it gets difficult to train them later on... I hope they get what comes to them
3. [+1957 / -22] This is something that happened while a service dog was in training but there's a saying where if you see a lot of persons with disabilities in the street, the civic awareness is that it is a developed country. If you see on TV or in articles, there's many persons with disabilities out in the street overseas and you think, "Why are there so many persons with disabilities around?". If you think again, it's not that there's a lot of persons with disabilities overseas but it makes me think if our country locked up persons with disabilities, who are struggling, from coming out into society and made them scared. If you just look at the most basic accessible bathroom - most of the times, it's used for cleaning products (t/n: like storage)... I think South Korea still has a far way to go!
4. [+1548 / -49] Seeing the dog's eyes, my heart sank ㅠㅠㅠ Imagine how startled the dog was ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ
5. [+961 / -25] Lotte, make a public apology!!
Original Source (YTN via Naver News): Lotte Mart, controversy for refusing entry for a service dog..."Service worker was crying"
1. [+2186 / -21] If you just watch five minutes of a guide dog's life on YouTube, you can't treat them like that. Seriously, it's an uneducated employee and an uneducated company
2. [+1495 / -9] A guide dog is a visually impaired person's eyes. You can't just simply view them as a "dog". Guide dogs for people who are visually impaired are all trained and managed under Samsung. Who does Lotte think they are to refuse a service dog? Even Joy, the guide dog of a National Assembly member, was the first to enter the National Assembly. But the fact that this occurred at a mart... I think the service worker and guide dog was really hurt. Please properly train your employees. Right now, it might seem like someone else's problem but who knows, you may also need the assistance of a guide dog? I hope you release proper feedback and I hope this doesn't reoccur in the future.
3. [+712 / -8] They received entry approval at the entrance but why are they like that? And the fact that they got angry at all, I don't get it
4. [+582 / -18] I can sense the difference between Samsung and Lotte
5. [+409 / -14] As expected, it's the uneducated Lotte! Do we have to do a boycott campaign...
Original Source (Hankyung via Naver News): Samsung operates guide dog school but...Lotte Mart refuses puppy walking?
1. [+3916 / -37] Who does Lotte think they are to ignore the Welfare of Persons with Disabilities Act?
2. [+2304 / -17] The employees swarmed around the dog, scared it, made the service worker cry, and sent them back. Do you feel satisfied? You should get what's coming to you.
3. [+1861 / -23] It's not like the patron power tripped. She entered after receiving approval but why is the manager working in the service industry raising their voice at the patron?? Just how distinguished of a job do they have that they refused a guide dog in training and raised their voice? (t/n: there were responses to this comments that called out the wording cause it sounded like this person was saying that if you have a distinguished job, you can ignore the law/behave like this)
4. [+1165 / -9] I heard the manager at the Lotte Mart in Jamsil was shouting and the employees nearby were staring at them like, "How can you bring a dog in?", murmuring, and staring with a bad gaze? It's such a great mart with such great employees. It's so great that I'll no longer go and make a purchase.
5. [+935 / -7] We don't know the employee's side yet but they deserve the criticism for the refusal [of the guide dog in training from entering] itself. Are they saying people who are visually impaired shouldn't even use the mart
Original Source (YTN via Naver News): Lotte Mart, "In response to dealing with the matter, we weren't considerate towards the dog owner" Official apology
t/n: They uploaded the apology statement on their official Instagram account. I'm paraphrasing: they acknowledged that they weren't considerate to the dog owner and that they bow their heads as they extend an apology. They said that with this opportunity, they'll clearly bring awareness and guidelines regarding guide dogs and puppy walking to their store(s) and they promise to take measures to prevent this from reoccurring. They said they'll work harder to learn from this and become a new Lotte Mart that thinks more about their patrons. #SureJan
1. [+833 / -4] Can the manager not read? Were they not able to read the 'Guide Dog' text on the vest...
2. [+419 / -7] Hey, manager, where you at? Being dumb isn't a crime but why did you cause disharmony? Apologize directly to the victims and get down to match eye levels with the dog in training and apologize (to the dog). Okay?
3. [+321 / -4] Shouldn't the employee politely apologize directly to the person involved?
4. [+201 / -5] It feels like they're making a forced apology to put out an urgent fire
5. [+134 / -4] It's okay if you just release one apology statement? ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ