"Can 7,000 Won Eliminate Hunger?" Tight Limits on 'Kkumnamu Card' [Well-Fed Children in Need①]

Support for Children and Adolescents at Risk of Food Insecurity
Despite Soaring Prices, Most Local Governments Provide 7,000 Won per Meal
Experts Say "Meal Support Rates Should Be Increased Considering Price Trends"

There is a Kkum Namu Card affiliate store sign on the restaurant window.
Photo by Intern Reporter Kim Gun-chan kgc6008@asiae.co.kr

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Kim Gun-chan] There are voices from the field that the support amount of the Kkum Namu Card, subsidized by the Seoul Metropolitan Government to allow children and adolescents at risk of food insecurity to dine at affiliated restaurants, is not reflecting the rise in dining-out prices. Experts emphasize the need for prompt measures to ensure that children facing economic poverty can have proper meals. They also suggest considering various meal support methods, such as delivering balanced and nutritious lunchboxes to children, in addition to card support.

◆ Children at risk of food insecurity more vulnerable to price hikes, is the Kkum Namu Card meal support unit price of '7,000 won' sufficient?

As of last month, 16,987 children were using the Kkum Namu Card according to Seoul city data. Since the full expansion of Kkum Namu Card affiliated stores in April last year, the number of affiliated stores, which was only about 5% of all general restaurants, increased nearly 20 times from around 7,000 to approximately 130,000.

The meal card unit price is 9,000 won in Seocho and Jongno districts, and 8,000 won in Gangnam and Yongsan districts. However, the other 21 districts barely meet the Ministry of Health and Welfare's recommended amount of 7,000 won. As dining-out prices rise sharply, children at risk of food insecurity find it difficult to have proper meals at restaurants.

Voices from the field suggest that the Kkum Namu Card support amount should be increased. Mr. Kim, who runs a kimbap restaurant in Gangbuk district, lamented, "A single roll of kimbap costs 4,000 won, so with 7,000 won, you can't even have ramen and kimbap together." The cheapest kimbap at this restaurant is 4,000 won, and ramen is 3,500 won.

The restaurant owner said, "It's not reasonable to expect children at risk of food insecurity to eat just one roll of kimbap for lunch," adding, "These days, even a bowl of doenjang jjigae (soybean paste stew) costs 8,000 won, so the support should be at least 8,000 won."

A restaurant owner in Seoul is updating the menu with increased prices. Photo by Mun Honam munonam@

Mr. Jang, who runs a pizza place nearby, said, "Currently, the only menu item you can get for 7,000 won here is a cheese pizza, but even that price is about to increase," emphasizing, "For some children, that one meal might be their only meal of the day, so the support amount should be raised in line with price increases."

According to the Korea Consumer Agency's comprehensive price information portal 'Cham Gagyeok' in June, the average dining-out prices in Seoul are △Naengmyeon (cold noodles) 10,269 won △Bibimbap 9,538 won △Kimchi jjigae set meal 7,385 won △200g Samgyeopsal (pork belly) 17,783 won △Samgyetang (ginseng chicken soup) 14,885 won △Kalguksu (knife-cut noodles) 8,269 won. Among the dining items surveyed by the Consumer Agency, the only items purchasable with the Kkum Namu Card are jajangmyeon (black bean noodles) at 6,262 won and kimbap at 2,946 won.

◆ Need to raise Kkum Namu Card support unit price considering inflation

Experts and child protection agencies suggest raising the Kkum Namu Card meal support unit price in response to inflation. Professor Jung Jae-hoon of the Department of Social Welfare at Seoul Women's University said, "There may be a time lag in local government decision-making processes, but they need to respond sensitively without such gaps," adding, "A prompt response to raise the meal support unit price while monitoring price trends is necessary." He also mentioned, "There is a way to switch from vouchers like the Kkum Namu Card to in-kind support," and added, "Services delivering lunchboxes with various menus considering children's nutrition can also be considered."

Professor Jung Jung-ho of the Department of Social Welfare at Cheongwoon University emphasized, "The goal is not just to fill children's stomachs," and said, "Delivery in the form of meal kits, which are widely used these days, allowing children to eat fresh fruits and more, could be another option."

A representative from the Green Umbrella Children's Foundation stated, "Since the implementation of the 'Food Insecurity Child Support Card' policy, it is commendable that the system has been improved to provide practical help to children by increasing the number of affiliated stores where the card can be used," adding, "However, given the clear reality of rapid global inflation recently, sufficient review of future considerations and additional supplementary measures may be necessary."

Meanwhile, in May last year, the 'Seoul Metropolitan Child-Friendly City Creation Ordinance Partial Amendment Bill,' which includes a clause requiring the determination of the Kkum Namu Card meal support unit price considering various conditions such as cost calculation and inflation rate, was passed. Cha Yu-mi, a Seoul city council member from the Democratic Party who proposed the amendment, emphasized, "Since all policies, projects, and budgets depend on will, the will of the Seoul city executive branch will be crucial."