Municipal officials check foodstuff at a childcare center in Gwangju on Jun. 30, 2020. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Nov. 10 (Korea Bizwire) — A group of mothers has filed a complaint over “spicy meals” offered at some kindergartens, alleging that serving the same meal regardless of age amounts to a violation of human rights.
Political Mamas, a civic group largely made up of mothers, said on Tuesday that children (usually 5 to 7 years old) attending kindergartens attached to elementary schools have no choice but to eat spicy food along with elementary school students because they are offered the same diet regardless of their age.
“Not being able to eat spicy food is not grumbling over a particular dish or being picky. A low tolerance for spicy food is not a problematic behavior to be corrected,” said the group.
“Spicy food tolerance depends on individual characteristics. Forcing kids to eat spicy meals against their will is a clear violation of human rights. For them, eating spicy food is tantamount to being forced to tolerate pain,” added the angry mothers.
The civic group argued the Ministry of Education should come up with measures to fix this problem in a petition submitted to the National Human Rights Commission of Korea.
Lina Jang (linajang@koreabizwire.com)
