Teacher honored by gov't for raising awareness about children with special needs
Published: 13 May. 2025, 13:20
Updated: 13 May. 2025, 19:06
![Lee Bo-ram, a 40-year-old special education teacher who was recently honored with a Prime Minister’s Commendation for his advocacy work promoting adoption and raising awareness about slow learners, second from left, with his family on vacation to Vietnam in 2024. His adopted daughter, Ha-rin, is shown in the middle. [LEE BO-RAM]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/05/13/ea2c67e1-0464-4fe1-94d9-9d9054c297f9.jpg)
Lee Bo-ram, a 40-year-old special education teacher who was recently honored with a Prime Minister’s Commendation for his advocacy work promoting adoption and raising awareness about slow learners, second from left, with his family on vacation to Vietnam in 2024. His adopted daughter, Ha-rin, is shown in the middle. [LEE BO-RAM]
A special education teacher who adopted a child with developmental challenges was honored with a Prime Minister’s Commendation last week for his advocacy work promoting adoption and raising awareness about slow learners.
This is the story of Lee Bo-ram, the 40-year-old who teaches at a middle school in Namyangju, Gyeonggi. He received the award on Saturday at Sejong University in eastern Seoul during the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s 20th Adoption Day event.
Lee was recognized for his efforts to promote adoption awareness, including serving as an ambassador for the Mission to Promote Adoption in Korea association and running a YouTube channel. He and his wife adopted Ha-rin, now 10, who was diagnosed with borderline intellectual functioning.
Children with the diagnosis are classified as "slow learners," which also includes those with ADHD, dyslexia and social pragmatic communication disorder.
Lee vividly recalled the first time he met Ha-rin. Her nickname, “Loverin,” is a blend of the word “lovely” and her name.
“Our eyes met at the adoption agency, and it was immediately clear — she was our daughter,” Lee said.
![Lee Bo-ram, a 40-year-old special education teacher, was recently honored with a Prime Minister’s Commendation for his advocacy work promoting adoption and raising awareness about slow learners. [MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND WELFARE]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/05/13/1970e76d-2f9e-4fe0-9c0f-40c7a4caa20b.jpg)
Lee Bo-ram, a 40-year-old special education teacher, was recently honored with a Prime Minister’s Commendation for his advocacy work promoting adoption and raising awareness about slow learners. [MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND WELFARE]
Despite already raising two biological sons, Lee’s wife had a desire to offer a loving home to another child.
“We both had difficult childhoods. That experience made us want to give someone else the warmth of a family,” Lee said.
Five years after joining the family in 2016, Ha-rin was diagnosed with borderline intellectual functioning — a condition not classified as a disability but marked by slower-than-average language and cognitive development.
Lee described the diagnosis as devastating.
“As a special education teacher, I’ve seen firsthand the discrimination and challenges students with disabilities face,” he said. “Students like Ha-rin often fall through the cracks of both welfare and education systems, which is why I was even more shocked.”
Instead of crumbling, Lee found a new purpose in supporting Ha-rin and others like her. He founded a support group called “Hedgehog Love,” dedicated to adoptive families of slow learners. He plays a leading role in the group, using his professional background to offer guidance.
![Lee Bo-ram’s YouTube channel, ″Walk On Borderline,″ features a range of content related to children with borderline intellectual functioning, including everyday moments with his daughter Ha-rin, segments where Lee and his wife share their parenting experiences and discussions with experts. [SCREEN CAPTURE]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/05/13/e2b17b39-5ac9-4937-a1d1-ca09769b10b2.jpg)
Lee Bo-ram’s YouTube channel, ″Walk On Borderline,″ features a range of content related to children with borderline intellectual functioning, including everyday moments with his daughter Ha-rin, segments where Lee and his wife share their parenting experiences and discussions with experts. [SCREEN CAPTURE]
Lee also launched a YouTube channel, “Walk on Borderline,” which documents his family’s daily life and aims to break stereotypes about adoption and children with developmental challenges. He and his wife produce and edit the videos themselves.
Earlier this year, Lee began a doctoral program in special education at Kangnam University. His goal is to research ways to expand social support for children like Ha-rin.
“Meeting Loverin through adoption was a gift in itself,” he said. “But everything that’s followed has been an even greater blessing.”
Recently, Lee bought a simplified coffee machine and began teaching Ha-rin to cook small meals, helping her experience everyday accomplishments.
“Slow learners are just that — slow. But they can do anything,” Lee said. “We must not impose limits on their potential.”
Lee said he feels especially proud when Ha-rin helps a classmate with a disability or offers a snack to her teacher, saying, “You must be tired.”
“As a parent, I want to be the one who believes in her potential more than anyone,” he said. “I still remember when she told me, ‘Dad, it’s okay to go slow. We’re in this together.’
“This award is not just a personal honor,” Lee added. “It’s a message of support for adoptive families raising children with developmental challenges — and encouragement for the children themselves. I hope people see adoptive families with warmth.”
Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY SHIN HYE-YEON [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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