The South Korean Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs announced on January 18 that it has expanded its ’1000 Won Breakfast’ program to cover 4.5 million people this year. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, Jan. 19 (Korea Bizwire) — The South Korean Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs announced on January 18 that it has expanded its ’1000 Won Breakfast’ program to cover 4.5 million people this year.
The program, aimed at university students, offers breakfast meals for just 1,000 won in an effort to reduce the rate of young adults skipping breakfast and to promote the consumption of rice.
In this initiative, students pay 1,000 won per meal, with the government contributing an additional 1,000 won and the universities covering the remaining costs.
The program has seen significant growth in participation. From 490,000 participants in 2022, it expanded to 2.33 million last year, and this year it has nearly doubled to 4.5 million.
The perception of the ’1000 Won Breakfast’ initiative is overwhelmingly positive. A survey conducted last year among 5,711 students from 140 universities showed that 90.4% felt the importance of having breakfast, and 90.5% responded that the program helped them maintain healthier eating habits.
South Korea is not the only country to address rising food costs and the increasing burden that this has placed on young people. In France, the student union is advocating for student cafeterias to reduce meal prices to 1 euro (approximately 1,400 won) to ensure all students can afford regular meals.
A survey conducted by the National Union of Students of France from September to December last year involving 7,531 French university students revealed alarming trends: one in five students skips meals three times a week or more, and 49% cannot afford fresh fruits or vegetables weekly.
This issue is more prevalent among scholarship recipients, with 28% of them struggling to have regular meals compared to 16% of non-recipients. Even among those not receiving scholarships, one in five find the regular cafeteria price of 3.30 euros (about 4,700 won) too expensive.
Additionally, 41% of students work alongside their studies, with 35% working over 12 hours a week.
The rising cost of living, exacerbated by the Russian-Ukrainian conflict which pushed the inflation rate in France from 1-2% pre-war to 6.3% in February of last year, has doubled the financial burden on students.
The situation is made worse by the housing crisis, particularly in expensive areas like Paris, where finding suitable accommodation is a recurring social issue each new school term.
Students unable to secure a spot in limited public dormitories often end up in poorly maintained or inadequately heated accommodations.
Amidst these challenges, former Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne, in November last year, promised the construction of 35,000 new student accommodations by 2027.
However, skepticism remains due to President Emmanuel Macron’s unfulfilled promise from 2017, which pledged 60,000 new student accommodations within five years but achieved only half by 2022.
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
