Public Military Base Samgyeopsal Tray... Turns Out to Be a 'Special Meal'

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] The Army's 51st Division, which was the starting point of the recent substandard meal scandal, revealed a 'pile of Samgyeopsal' meal during a visit by opposition party lawmakers, which turned out to be a 'special meal' provided to soldiers once a month, sparking controversy.

According to the office of Lee Chae-ik, a member of the People Power Party, the lunch menu provided by a subordinate unit of the Army's 51st Division during the visit of defense committee members from the People Power Party on the 26th included 'seafood doenjang jjigae, Samgyeopsal, lettuce wraps, and napa cabbage kimchi,' and was estimated to be worth about 8,000 won per meal. This is approximately 2.7 times the average cost of 2,930 won per meal provided to soldiers.

The unit provides a special meal menu once a month, and coincidentally, it overlapped with the day of the lawmakers' visit. The Army explained that the visiting unit and date were selected after prior coordination with the lawmakers' offices, considering time and route. However, it is known that the visiting lawmakers were not properly informed in advance about the special meal.

The 51st Division was the place where the substandard meal exposure began about a month ago, when a 'lunchbox of anger' photo was posted from another subordinate unit.

For this reason, attention was focused even before the lawmakers' visit. After the visit, criticism arose that the unit's display of a 'fully packed meal tray,' claimed to be the 'per person portion,' was merely for show. Ultimately, the lawmakers ended up inspecting only the 'wrong' meal on site, leading to criticism that the purpose of inspecting the substandard meal situation itself was rendered meaningless.