"This Time, Dakbokkeumtang Without Chicken... Showy Samgyeopsal for Isolated Personnel" Military Reverse Discrimination in Meal Distribution Exposed

Photo of the evening meal service on the 15th at the 28th Army Division posted on "Delivered Instead of the Army Training Center." Photo by "Delivered Instead of the Army Training Center" Facebook page capture

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Choyoung] A claim has been raised that ordinary soldiers in an army unit are being discriminated against in meals compared to isolated soldiers.

On the 17th, a post titled "Reporting from the 28th Division" was uploaded on the Facebook page 'Delivering Army Training Center News.'

The informant said, "On the 15th, the military served ordinary soldiers chicken stew without a single piece of meat for dinner," adding, "The portion of codari gangjeong was small, so one piece was cut 2 to 4 times with scissors and given as two small pieces, along with a single sheet of gim (seaweed)."

He continued, "On the other hand, the meals for isolated soldiers were generously provided enough for two people to eat, and they were even given samgyeopsal (pork belly)," adding, "They always distributed the isolated soldiers' meals first and took photos, saying they had to report to higher-ups, and only the isolated soldiers ate proper meals fit for humans."

He added, "I wonder what meaning there is if only isolated soldiers are cared for," and "I am very angry at this situation where it is always just for show like this."

In response, the Army 28th Division issued an official statement, saying, "The 'codari gangjeong' on the menu was served by the serving team (2 people), and the rest of the menu was operated as self-service," and "Even after serving, rice, chicken stew, codari gangjeong, and all side dishes remained."

However, they stated, "Samgyeopsal was provided only as an additional side dish to 35 isolated personnel in the unit," and "We will further check whether there was any discrepancy in the amount of meals by menu and review if there are any parts to be supplemented."

Meanwhile, the government launched the 'Soldier Living Conditions Improvement TF (Task Force)' earlier this month. The plan is to identify irregularities in all areas including meals, clothing, facilities, welfare and medical care, personnel, and barracks, and seek fundamental improvement measures.