President Lee Jae Myung said Wednesday that supporting patients with rare diseases is a difficult but essential task, stressing that people must not be marginalized simply because they are small in number.

Speaking at a meeting with rare disease patients and their families at a Seoul hospital, Lee said individuals cannot shoulder the burden of treatment alone and that the government must play a stronger role.

He acknowledged that previous policies had fallen short from patients’ perspectives and pledged to prepare additional measures to improve treatment access, diagnosis support, and welfare services.

Lee noted that government efforts often face resistance, with critics arguing that support for rare disease patients may be excessive given the limited number of beneficiaries and low public awareness.

Despite those challenges, he said the value of human life outweighs such concerns and warned against excluding people or placing them at a disadvantage because they are a minority.

Lee added that the government would continue strengthening the social safety net so that patients with rare and incurable diseases can share in the sense of care and dignity during the year-end season.