Seoul Metropolitan Government held a launch ceremony Tuesday; network to run awareness campaigns and integrated support services

Those with borderline intellectual functioning often fall outside disability support systems

21 organizations and groups, including individuals, families and job centers, are participating

The MIM NET launch ceremony held Tuesday at Cheonggyecheon Plaza in Seoul. [Seoul Metropolitan Government]
The MIM NET launch ceremony held Tuesday at Cheonggyecheon Plaza in Seoul. [Seoul Metropolitan Government]

The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced Friday that it has launched MIM NET, a support network for people with borderline intellectual functioning.

The city held the launch ceremony Tuesday at Cheonggyecheon Plaza, with about 1,000 people in attendance — including individuals with borderline intellectual functioning and their families, representatives from 21 related organizations and groups, corporate sponsors and members of the public.

Borderline intellectual functioning refers to a condition in which a person does not meet the criteria for an intellectual disability but has below-average cognitive abilities that make learning and social adaptation difficult.

According to the city, people with borderline intellectual functioning are estimated to make up about 13.6 percent of the total population — approximately 6.95 million people — yet they are often excluded from institutional support because their condition does not qualify as a disability.

In response, the city built MIM NET, drawing its name from "MIM Center," the nickname for the Seoul Lifelong Education Support Center for People with Borderline Intellectual Functioning. The name "MIM" carries meanings including "pushing others forward to be a source of strength" and "spreading understanding of borderline intellectual functioning."

Seoul was the first local government in the country to enact a lifelong education support ordinance for people with borderline intellectual functioning, doing so in 2020, and opened MIM Center in June 2022.

Current MIM NET participants include the Seoul Lifelong Education Support Center for People with Borderline Intellectual Functioning, the Seoul Job Center, the Seoul Independent Living Support Agency, the Municipal Internet Addiction Prevention and Counseling Center, and the Seoul Single-Parent Family Support Center, among others. The city said it plans to expand participation as needed.

Participating organizations will work to build an integrated support system for the independence of people with borderline intellectual functioning — pursuing staff awareness education, parent education, expanded work experience opportunities, and psychological and emotional counseling. They will also conduct public awareness campaigns.

Lee Hae-seon, director of the Seoul Metropolitan Government's Lifelong Education Bureau, said people with borderline intellectual functioning "are our neighbors who grow and nurture their dreams at their own pace," adding that the city would "strengthen cooperation among community organizations and build a tight-knit support system so that people with borderline intellectual functioning can feel real change in their daily lives."


ken@heraldcorp.com