■ In response to newly emerging social challenges, such as rising care demands due to low fertility rates and an aging population, an increasing number of socially reclusive youth, and lonely deaths among middle-aged individuals, Korea enacted the Act on Integrated Support for Community Care (the Act hereafter) in 2024, which will be fully implemented in March 2026 after two-year pilot projects. The Ministry of Health and Welfare organized the Integrated Support for Community Care Committee chaired by the Minister of Health and Welfare and involving four relevant officials from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport; the Ministry of the Interior and Safety; the Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs; and the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism. The committee is currently detailing the nation’s care policy roadmaps and specific action plans.
■ Local governments are proactively taking measures to cope with the full implementation of the Act, with officials focusing on (1) discovering new local care services that align with national policies and (2) establishing a safety net for local residents through the integration and coordination of existing care services.
■ Since 2024, the Social Welfare Policy Division of Jeonbuk State has been taking the initiative to hold regular expert forums for formulating Jeonbuk-specific care policies, working on how to define and organize locally tailored care services and integrate them into national care policies. Notably, Jeonbuk must incorporate its specific conditions and limitations—increasing care demands from an aging population and limited care services due to the poor health and welfare infrastructure inherent in rural areas—into developing its care policies.
■ To this end, Jeonbuk is strongly advised to pursue a three-layer system as follows: (1) Synergistically integrate Jeonbuk and national care policies to create a more effective and well-structured safety net, (2) establish a care support system intended specifically to cope with new care needs arising from increased socially reclusive youth and single-person households, and (3) lay a solid foundation for providing inclusive care to all residents on an as-needed basis.
■ Moreover, Jeonbuk-specific care should be classified into three services: (1) state-led basic care centered on vulnerable groups, (2) supplementary care based on the organic integration and coordination of existing care services, and (3) special care delivered in response to the daily care needs of general residents. For supplementary and special care, Jeonbuk State must collaborate with its cities and counties to establish a dedicated department for developing and providing integrated care, in addition to coordinating existing services. A public–private council should also be organized to navigate wide-ranging care services in an effective and streamlined manner. Furthermore, Jeonbuk State must identify ways to embrace those who are denied access to basic and supplementary care services to ensure that all Jeonbuk residents are eligible for sustainable health management and support.
■ Jeonbuk-specific care must extend beyond existing simple services centered on nursing and protection, and its programs must evolve into integrated care services that can be customized to suit specific requirements across housing, food, housework, transport, medical, and emergency support. Achieving this noble cause necessitates establishing public–private support systems for tailored services by designating various private organizations as care providers and cultivating care professionals for high-quality care services.
