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Mayor Park Heong-joon Announces Five-Year Master Plan to Support Borderline Intellectual Functioning Individuals: “No One Left Behind Among Slow Learners”

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Busan Metropolitan City (Mayor Park Heong-joon) announced that it has established the “Five-Year Master Plan (2026–2030) for Supporting Individuals with Borderline Intellectual Functioning” to implement tailored welfare policies for those in welfare blind spots.

Individuals with borderline intellectual functioning* have lower cognitive abilities compared to the average, which makes academic and work-related activities challenging. However, they do not meet the criteria for intellectual disability and exist in the boundary between persons with and without disabilities. This group is estimated to account for approximately 13.59% of the total population. As they are not legally classified as persons with disabilities, they remain in blind spots of education and welfare services.

• ●Refers to individuals with IQ levels between 71 and 85, which fall outside the classification of intellectual disability (IQ of 70 or below)

While more than ten related bills are currently pending in the National Assembly, Busan Metropolitan City has already demonstrated policy commitment by enacting the “Ordinance on Supporting Individuals with Borderline Intellectual Functioning in Busan” in 2023. This year, it has established its first five-year master plan, aiming to ensure that all citizens can lead healthy and happy lives without institutional blind spots.

Prior to this, the city has collaborated with the Youth Foundation since last year to support diagnostic testing, career exploration, and social skills enhancement for individuals with borderline intellectual functioning. This year, the city will further expand these initiatives in cooperation with the Ministry of Employment and Labor and other agencies, with a total budget of KRW 338 million.

Through diagnostic testing support for school-age children and adolescents, the city has emphasized the importance of early intervention for stable development and growth. For young adults aged 18 to 39, it has worked to strengthen social adaptation capabilities by providing career consulting, independence training, and work experience opportunities.

In particular, this year, Busan will operate a youth soccer program for approximately 40 participants using KRW 50 million from the Hometown Love Donation Fund. This program serves as a unique Busan initiative designed to enhance social skills through group sports activities, fostering communication, rule adherence, and social interaction.

This five-year master plan reflects findings from a survey conducted by the Busan Development Institute last year, as well as feedback from the field and family needs. It includes three major strategies and 12 detailed initiatives, with a total investment of approximately KRW 6.3 billion by 2030.

The first strategy, “Establishing a Diagnostic System and Understanding Current Conditions,” focuses on building a data-driven policy feedback system through a continuous support structure linking diagnosis, counseling, case management, and services.

To promote early identification and diagnosis, the city will:

• ●Develop and distribute tools for identifying high-risk groups and supplementary diagnostic instruments prior to formal intelligence testing

• ●Provide financial support for diagnostic testing (up to KRW 300,000 per person)

• ●Establish diagnostic procedures that comprehensively consider the characteristics of individuals with borderline intellectual functioning

To ensure tailored information provision and service linkage, the city will:

• ●Provide customized support information based on individual circumstances and life stages

• ●Manage support histories

• ●Build a cooperative foundation among education, welfare, psychological, and employment institutions to prevent service overlap or omission

The second strategy, “Supporting Growth Across the Life Cycle,” aims to provide step-by-step customized support to address changing roles and environments throughout different life stages.

For school-age individuals, the city plans to:

• ●Operate programs to enhance social and emotional development, including peer relationship building, emotional regulation, and communication skills

• ●Provide parent education to strengthen home-based learning and emotional support

For young adults, the city will:

• ●Offer phased independence support, including career exploration, social adaptation training, workplace experience, and employment opportunities

• ●Provide customized lifelong education programs

• ●Support small group activities such as self-help groups to restore a sense of belonging and provide opportunities for social participation

The third strategy, “Establishing a Sustainable Growth Foundation,” focuses on improving understanding and social acceptance of individuals with borderline intellectual functioning.

To strengthen professional capacity and field expertise, the city will:

• ●Provide case-based training to enhance practical response capabilities

• ●Establish and operate an integrated support council among related institutions (education, welfare, psychology, and employment sectors) to deliver continuous and integrated, client-centered services

In addition, to promote social awareness and empathy within the community, the city will:

• ●Expand public understanding and consensus through outreach and sharing of policy outcomes with citizens and related organizations

• ●Foster an inclusive community environment that respects differences in everyday life

Mayor Park Heong-joon stated, “The isolation experienced by slow learners and the hardships faced by their families are too great to simply wait for legislative action by the National Assembly,” adding, “We will build a warm community in Busan where individuals with borderline intellectual functioning—our neighbors—are protected within a strong support system, ensuring that not a single person is left behind.”