Jeon Gyeong-chul, who for 26 years raised a severely autistic son he called Peter Pan after the boy who never grew up, died on Sept. 5 at 63. Given about six months to live in April last year, he spent most of what remained looking for somewhere his son could go.
Roughly 1,000 residential facilities turned them away. His account of that search, published as an essay and retold on tvN's "You Quiz on the Block," one of the country's most widely watched talk shows, in an episode that peaked at 7.1 percent of Seoul-area households.
His son, 27, whose developmental age is about two, now lives in a community village for the most severely affected. Jeon spent his final months setting up a foundation for autistic adults.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare laid out the plan on Thursday with seven other ministries at the Government Complex in Seoul, bundling 50 measures for people whose care needs outlast their parents.
About 288,000 people had intellectual or autism spectrum disabilities at the end of last year, 11.0 percent of all registered disabled people, and adults account for 69.5 percent of them.
The government expects 335,000 by 2030.
"Next year's related budget across ministries has been reflected at about 2.8 trillion won ($2.1 billion), a 15.9 percent increase," said Jeong Eun-kyeong, the health minister, who promised yearly funding as the population grows.
Integrated care for the most severely affected will reach 2,760 people next year from 2,340 this year, and emergency care providers will grow to five from two. Round the clock one-to-one support, confined to weekdays, will stretch into weekends.
"We will remember the life and the will of the late Jeon Gyeong-chul," Jeong said, pledging a society where people with developmental disabilities can live safely once their parents are gone.
AJP Takeaways
- South Korea's Ministry of Health and Welfare, joined by seven other ministries, announced a developmental disability care plan on Sept. 10, 2026, that recasts lifelong care as a state responsibility rather than a family one.
- Daytime activity services for adults with developmental disabilities will expand to 20,000 people in 2027 and 30,000 by 2030 from 15,000 now, while integrated care for the most severe cases rises to 2,760 from 2,340.
- About 288,000 people in South Korea had a developmental disability at the end of 2025, or 11.0 percent of registered disabled people, and the government projects 335,000 by 2030.
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