Governor Kim Dongyeon: "Care for Persons with Developmental Disabilities Is a Shared Social Responsibility... Gyeonggi Province Will Lead the Way in Korea"

Governor Kim Dongyeon Visits Paju's First Integrated Care Center for Severely Disabled Persons with Developmental Disabilities
24-Hour One-on-One Support to Improve Quality of Life for Severely Disabled Persons and Their Families

On November 20, Kim Dongyeon, Governor of Gyeonggi Province, visited the first "Gyeonggi Province Integrated Care Center for Severely Disabled Persons with Developmental Disabilities" in Paju to encourage care workers, persons with developmental disabilities, and their guardians. This visit was part of his 17th field tour stop focused on the livelihoods and economy, with Paju as one of the scheduled destinations.

On the morning of the 20th, Kim Dongyeon, Governor of Gyeonggi Province, visited the first integrated care center for severely disabled people in Paju and held a meeting with care workers and guardians. Photo by Lee Jonggu

During a meeting held at the Paju center, Governor Kim listened to on-site feedback regarding limitations on the period of use for the integrated care center and improvement of working conditions for staff, in accordance with Ministry of Health and Welfare guidelines. He stated, "I will look for ways to reflect improvements in working conditions as much as possible during this budget review. If there is something we are certain we should do, I hope we will take the initiative," adding, "Gyeonggi Province is just as committed and capable as the central government."

He continued, "Firefighters who put out fires and police officers who catch criminals are all public goods. This should not be considered charity; it is something the state is naturally obligated to do," and emphasized, "Instead of discussing regulations regarding care for persons with developmental disabilities, we need to change our perspective. When there is a fire, you do not argue about regulations before putting it out. Care for persons with developmental disabilities is also a shared responsibility of society. Gyeonggi Province will take the lead more than anywhere else in Korea."

After the meeting, Governor Kim participated in daytime activities provided by the center, such as drawing and music, together with persons with developmental disabilities.

The integrated care service for severely disabled persons with developmental disabilities provides care for individuals aged 18 to under 65 with intellectual or autism spectrum disabilities who exhibit severe challenging behaviors and have significant limitations in daily living and communication skills, making it difficult for them to use existing social services.

On the morning of the 20th, Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Dongyeon visited the first Paju Integrated Care Center for Severely Disabled Developmental Disorder Patients, participating in day activities and communicating with severely disabled developmental disorder patients.

Specifically, the center offers 24-hour individualized one-on-one customized services, including daytime activities and residential services. In particular, services are provided from Monday to Friday, and clients return home on weekends, allowing guardians of severely disabled persons with developmental disabilities to experience a normal daily life, while providing stability for the individuals themselves.

Starting with Paju in December last year, the province opened a second center in Suwon in April this year and a third in Ansan in September. Each center has a maximum capacity of 10 users, and the total number of users across all three centers is currently 10.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.