Gwangju Seo-gu Council Urges Passage of Law to Support Borderline Intellectual Disabilities

Regarding the recently growing social awareness and interest in ‘borderline intellectual functioning,’ members of the Gwangju Seo-gu Council have called for the passage of a law to support individuals with borderline intellectual functioning for a ‘community where no one is left behind,’ ‘education that does not give up on a single child,’ and ‘a society where everyone lives well.’

All Seo-gu council members urged the National Assembly and the central government to ▲pass legislation guaranteeing the rights and support for individuals with borderline intellectual functioning ▲establish an institutional foundation and cooperative system within the central government for tailored support throughout the life cycle, such as lifelong education policies for individuals with borderline intellectual functioning.

Kim Gyun-ho, the council member who spearheaded the proposal, stated, “Individuals with borderline intellectual functioning have an intelligence quotient (IQ) between 71 and 84 and face difficulties in cognition, emotion, and social adaptation. They are estimated to make up about 14% of the total population, which translates to approximately 6 million people in our country, or 3 to 4 out of every 25 people. It is necessary to provide tailored support such as life cycle-based education to enable them to become fully independent members of society. Recently, social awareness has expanded, with National Assembly forums being held and 77 ordinances enacted by local governments nationwide. Nevertheless, all four bills proposed to support individuals with borderline intellectual functioning remain pending, causing difficulties for local governments in policy formulation and implementation,” he said.

Council member Kim added, “In this situation, the ‘Community Child Center Support Group’ is currently promoting the ‘Support Project for Children Growing as Themselves.’ In Gwangju, education is being conducted for four children each at 40 community child centers, including five centers in Seo-gu. I hope our region can become a leading pilot area that actively takes the initiative in lifelong education for individuals with borderline intellectual functioning in connection with these projects.”

Shin Dong-ho, Honam Reporting Headquarters, Asia Economy bless4ya@asiae.co.kr

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