Korea health ministry meets disability groups on care responsibility plan

The health ministry said Friday it held a meeting with major parent groups for people with developmental disabilities at Seoul Station to discuss carrying out its national care responsibility plan and to coordinate support for at-risk households.

The meeting was arranged so that the measures announced on Sept. 10 translate into practical changes in the daily lives of people with developmental disabilities and their families, the ministry said.

Eun Seong-ho, head of the ministry's population and social service policy office, attended along with the ministry's disability services division chief. The parent groups were represented by Ko Sun-soon, president of the Korean Parents' Association for Persons with Disabilities; Kim Yong-jik, president of the Korean Autism Love Association; and Yoon Jong-sul, president of the National Parents' Solidarity for the Disabled.

The ministry briefed the groups on key projects in the 2027 government budget proposal and asked them to help identify difficulties people with disabilities and their families face when applying for and using services. It also heard their views on the staffing and budget needed to support the care plan and difficulties encountered in the field, and said it would reflect these in follow-up measures.

The meeting also covered support for at-risk households. Building on a July agreement between the ministry and the parent groups called "Holding Hands with People with Developmental Disabilities," local governments and the parent groups will work together to check on such households, accompany them on visits and guide them through service applications.

"Please hold the hands of at-risk households so that public support can reach families in need," Eun told the groups, adding that the government would carefully reflect voices from the field so that people with developmental disabilities and their families can feel the change in their daily lives.