“Thank you for more than 20 years of happiness”: ‘Peter Pan’ dad and writer Jeon Kyung-chul dies

‘Peter Pan’ dad and writer Jeon Kyung-chul dies, leaving behind a 20-year miracle forged by knocking on 1,000 doors

He dies at 63 after battling liver cancer; foundation plans he pursued after a six-month prognosis will continue

His paternal devotion never wavered after the terminal diagnosis as he knocked on 1,000 doors

“You gave me the happiness of being a father for more than 20 years. Thank you, my son.”

Writer Jeon Kyung-chul, the ‘Peter Pan’ dad who devoted more than 20 years to caring alone for his son with severe autism, has died after battling liver cancer. He was 63. Jung Yoo-jin, head of the Developmental Disability Support Experts Forum, said on the 6th that Jeon died at around 7:56 p.m. on the 5th. In accordance with his wishes, the funeral will be held without a viewing room.

Jeon had a son, Je-won, now 26, whom he had in his mid-30s and who was diagnosed with severe autism spectrum disorder in 2007. After divorcing his wife, Jeon lived as his son’s sole guardian for more than 20 years. Because his son’s mental development had stopped at age 2, he called him ‘Peter Pan,’ the boy who would never grow up.

His heartbreaking story became known to the public in April last year, when doctors gave him six months to live after diagnosing him with terminal liver cancer. Even at death’s door, he worried only about the safety of the son who would be left alone and searched through more than 1,000 care facilities across the country. But not a single facility would accept an autistic adult man unable to communicate. Despite the desperate reality, he refused to give up and began documenting on the Brunch platform his arduous search for a home for his son.

Solidarity becomes a miracle as he takes one final step for the ‘Peter Pans’ left behind

Jeon’s writings soon resonated across society. His story received extensive coverage on major television programs, including tvN’s ‘You Quiz on the Block’ and MBC’s ‘True Story Investigation Team.’ He later established himself as a writer with the formal publication of his essay collection, ‘Hello, Peter Pan.’ Readers responded to his desperate appeals with more than 2,000 messages of support and donations totaling nearly 80 million won. Thanks to that groundswell of solidarity, his son Je-won was able to safely settle in a community village for people with the most severe developmental disabilities.

Jeon outlived the six months initially predicted by his medical team by about a year. During his lifetime, he described his son as “the one who keeps me holding on to life.” Even amid the pain of treatment, he looked beyond publishing and actively pursued the establishment of the ‘Peter Pan’ Welfare Foundation for People With Autism to support adults with severe autism facing circumstances like his son’s. On the 25th of last month, that effort culminated in the launch of a committee to establish the foundation. The remaining members plan to carry on discussions without interruption, honoring Jeon’s wishes.

“You gave me the happiness of being a father for more than 20 years, even though other parents cannot sustain it for more than two or three years at most.”

Jeon confessed his boundless love for his innocent son, who had grown far taller than he was. His fiercely devoted life will be remembered for a long time, sounding a powerful warning about the gaps in care for people with developmental disabilities in our society.