"'Ddongguk, Kimchi, Steamed Egg' Ended... Army Quarantined Soldiers' Poor Meals Exposed Again"

Poor meals were provided to isolated soldiers, according to a revelation. Photo by Facebook Army Training Center Instead of Delivering page

[Asia Economy Reporter Seoyoung Kwon] Controversy is growing after revelations that substandard meals were provided to isolated Army soldiers.

On the 8th, a post titled "39th Division - Substandard Meal Service" was uploaded on the Facebook page "Delivering Messages from the Army Training Center." In the photo submitted by an anonymous informant, rice, a piece of steamed egg, and kimchi were packed in a disposable lunchbox. The informant added the explanation, "This is today's breakfast menu of the 39th Division. The soup is 'ddongguk' (a derogatory term meaning 'bad soup'). There is no seaweed. The yellow side dish is steamed egg," and appealed, "I am reporting this out of sheer frustration."

The post received over 1,700 comments. Netizens voiced criticism such as, "I wish they would stop messing around with the rice," "They went there to fulfill their duty, so shouldn't they be treated properly?" "At least seaweed should have been served with that level of side dishes," and "What the soldiers want is not much, just to receive the proper portions whether they are isolated or regular soldiers."

In response to these reactions, the 39th Division confirmed that the lunchbox was provided as a breakfast meal to soldiers isolated due to COVID-19. However, they stated there were no issues with the food supply claims, and the reason why side dishes were insufficiently served has not been identified. They explained that they have recently prioritized meals for isolated soldiers, provided additional side dishes, and made every effort to improve welfare by installing various convenience facilities in the isolation rooms.

Meanwhile, this is not the first controversy regarding substandard meal service for isolated soldiers. Since mid-last month, various social networking services (SNS) and online communities have continuously revealed that poor meals were provided to soldiers isolated to prevent the spread of COVID-19 after returning from leave. As the controversy continued, Park Jae-min, Deputy Minister of National Defense, apologized, saying, "We deeply regret causing concern to the public due to poor isolation facilities and substandard meals," and promised to improve the treatment.