'Peter Pan's dad,' who raised son with severe autism alone, dies 24 days after 'You Quiz' appearance

Author Jeon Gyeong-cheol, known as Peter Pan’s dad, died at 7:56 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026, after appearing on You Quiz on the Block. He had been raising his 27-year-old son, who has severe autism, alone while living with terminal liver cancer. The funeral will be held without a public wake, in line with his wishes.

Jeon was diagnosed with terminal liver cancer and began looking for a place where his son could live after his death.

He documented that journey in an essay collection published this year, whose title roughly translates to Goodbye, Peter Pan.

He pledged to donate royalties and related proceeds from Goodbye, Peter Pan to establish the Peter Pan Foundation for round-the-clock care.

He appeared on You Quiz on the Block on Aug. 12 and said he had lived more than twice as long as doctors at a world’s fifth-ranked hospital had predicted.

The You Quiz on the Block production team paid tribute to Jeon on its official social media account on Sunday.

Published Sep 8, 2026 1:00 pm KST

Jeon Gyeong-cheol / Captured from tvN D ENT YouTube Channel

Author Jeon Gyeong-cheol, who shared his story of raising a son with severe autism as a single father on television programs including “You Quiz on the Block,” has died.

Jeong Yu-jin, head of a forum for specialists supporting people with developmental disabilities, announced his death on social media Sunday.

“Jeon Gyeong-cheol, 'Peter Pan’s dad,' set off on his long journey at 7:56 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026,” she wrote. She added that the funeral would be held without a public wake in accordance with his wishes.

The author had been raising his 27-year-old son, who has severe autism and the cognitive abilities of a 2- or 3-year-old, on his own. After being diagnosed with terminal liver cancer, Jeon began searching for a place where his son could live after his death. He documented the journey in an essay collection published this year, whose title roughly translates to “Goodbye, Peter Pan.”

The cover of Jeon Gyeong-cheol’s essay collection “Goodbye, Peter Pan” / Captured from Kyobo Book Centre

Until the end, he continued working toward his dream of creating "Neverland," a community for people with developmental disabilities. He had pledged to donate royalties and related proceeds from “Goodbye, Peter Pan” toward establishing the Peter Pan Foundation, with the aim of building a community offering round-the-clock care.

The author’s story drew public attention through television coverage, including an appearance on MBC’s “True Story” in March and, more recently, on “You Quiz on the Block.”

Appearing on “You Quiz on the Block” on Aug. 12, Jeon said he had lived more than twice as long as doctors at the world’s fifth-ranked hospital had predicted, crediting his son with keeping him going. Asked what he wanted to tell his son, he gave a poignant answer.

“It wouldn’t be honest to say I want him to forget all about his dad and live only for his own happiness. I want to remain a man he vaguely remembers. A man who, for reasons he couldn’t understand, suddenly grew old but was warm and kind. Someone he can’t quite place, but finds himself missing whenever he comes to mind.”

Following his death, the production team behind “You Quiz on the Block” paid tribute to Jeon on its official social media account Sunday.

“Author Jeon Gyeong-cheol dreamed until the very end of a better world for people with developmental disabilities,” the team wrote. “We were grateful to be able to share his hopes on ‘You Quiz.’ We will long remember the love he left behind. May he rest in peace.”

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.

被誉为“彼得·潘之父”的作家全京哲于2026年9月5日星期六晚上7点56分去世，此前他曾参加过益智问答节目《You Quiz on the Block》。他生前独自抚养着患有严重自闭症的27岁儿子，同时自己也身患晚期肝癌。遵照他的遗愿，葬礼将不举行公开守灵仪式。

全被诊断出患有晚期肝癌，并开始寻找他去世后儿子可以居住的地方。

他将这段旅程记录在了今年出版的一本散文集中，书名大致翻译为《再见，彼得·潘》。

他承诺将《再见，彼得·潘》的版税及相关收益捐赠给彼得·潘基金会，用于全天候照顾彼得·潘。

8 月 12 日，他参加了 You Quiz on the Block 节目，并表示他的寿命是世界排名第五的医院的医生预测的两倍多。

周日，《You Quiz on the Block》制作团队在其官方社交媒体账号上向全致敬。

发布于2026年9月8日下午1点（韩国标准时间）

全京哲 / 截图来自 tvN D ENT YouTube 频道

曾多次在电视节目《你好，兄弟》中分享自己作为单身父亲抚养患有严重自闭症儿子的故事的作家全京哲去世了。

为发育障碍人士提供支持的专家论坛负责人郑裕珍（Jeong Yu-jin）周日在社交媒体上宣布了他的死讯。

“全京哲，‘彼得·潘的爸爸’，于2026年9月5日星期六晚上7点56分踏上了他的漫漫旅程，”她写道。她还补充说，根据他的遗愿，葬礼将不举行公开守灵仪式。

作者一直独自抚养着他27岁的儿子，儿子患有严重的自闭症，认知能力仅相当于两三岁的孩子。在被诊断出患有晚期肝癌后，全先生开始寻找一个在他去世后儿子可以居住的地方。他将这段旅程记录在一本散文集中，该书于今年出版，书名大致翻译为“再见，彼得·潘”。

全京哲散文集《再见，彼得·潘》封面 / 图片来自教保书店

直到生命的尽头，他仍在为实现创建“梦幻岛”——一个为发育障碍人士打造的社区——的梦想而努力。他曾承诺将《再见，彼得·潘》的版税及相关收益捐赠给彼得·潘基金会，旨在建立一个提供全天候照护的社区。

作者的故事通过电视报道引起了公众的关注，包括3月份在MBC电视台的《真实故事》节目中亮相，以及最近在《街区少年》节目中的亮相。

8月12日，全智贤做客综艺节目《You Quiz on the Block》，表示自己比世界排名第五的医院医生预测的寿命多活了两倍多，并将自己能活到现在归功于儿子。当被问及想对儿子说些什么时，他给出了一个感人至深的回答。

“如果说我希望他彻底忘记父亲，只为自己的幸福而活，那并不诚实。我希望自己仍然是他记忆中模糊的那个人。一个他无法理解为何突然老去，却依然温暖善良的人。一个他无法确切记得，却又会在想起他时感到思念的人。”

在他去世后，《You Quiz on the Block》的制作团队于周日在其官方社交媒体账号上向全智贤致敬。

“作者全京哲至死都梦想着为发育障碍人士创造一个更美好的世界，”团队写道。“我们很荣幸能在《You Quiz》节目中分享他的愿望。我们将永远铭记他留下的爱。愿他安息。”

本文来自《韩国日报》（《韩国时报》的姊妹报），由人工智能生成系统翻译，并由《韩国时报》编辑。