SINGAPORE — Jeon Gyeong-cheol, the South Korean father known as the “Peter Pan Dad” for documenting his search for lifelong care for his disabled son, died Saturday at 64 after battling late-stage liver cancer.
Jeong Yu-jin, head of the Developmental Disabilities Support Expert Forum, announced Jeon’s death Sunday on social media. She said Jeon’s family would hold his funeral without a formal wake, following his wishes.
Jeon spent more than 20 years as the sole caregiver of his 27-year-old son, who has autism and a developmental level assessed at about that of a 2- or 3-year-old.
Doctors diagnosed Jeon with terminal late-stage liver cancer in April last year. He then traveled across South Korea and contacted nearly 1,000 care facilities as he searched for a place that could care for his son after his death. Few facilities could accept him.
Jeon began documenting the search on Brunch, a South Korean content publishing platform. His writings attracted widespread attention and later appeared on television programs including MBC’s “True Story Expedition” and tvN’s “You Quiz on the Block.”
He compiled his Brunch writings into the essay collection “Annyeong, Peter Pan,” which came out in June.
Readers moved by his story donated about 80 million won, or $59,000, helping his son move into a community village for people with profound developmental disabilities.
“I want to tell him to forget about his dad and live happily,” Jeon said on “You Quiz on the Block” last month. “But I don’t want him to forget me completely. I hope he remembers me with a faint sense of longing, as an old man who once looked at him with warmth.”
Jeon also worked to help other families facing similar challenges. He pursued plans to establish a welfare foundation for adults with severe autism-related disabilities.
On Aug. 26, shortly before his death, Jeon announced the formation of a preparatory committee for the foundation. Members are expected to continue his work and discuss the foundation’s launch.
