[Welfare Advanced Nation 2030 - Part 2] ⑤ Kang Deuk-gu "Under No Circumstances Should There Be 'Children Going Hungry'... Both Parties Must Fulfill Their Duty to Prepare a Warm 'Table'"

Proper Nutrition Intake Tailored for All Children and Growth Stages Needed
Policies Must Prevent Loss of Hope Due to Life Conditions... A Responsibility for All of Us
Meal Support Programs for Food-Insecure Children Should Overcome Regional Disparities and Expand Card Usage
Uniform Meal Support Rates for Elementary, Middle, and High Schools... Need for Policy Precision

Editor's NoteIs South Korea a developed country? In the 'Welfare Advanced Country 2030' project, which was prepared to explore the 'direction of developed countries' through National Assembly legislation, following the previous 'Part 1 - People with Developmental Disabilities,' this time we addressed 'food-insecure children' and 'children aging out of care (youth preparing for independence).' We examine the winter of food-insecure children who have to worry about every meal during school vacations when school meals stop, and the winter of children aging out of care who must face adulthood unprepared after leaving child care facilities. We also seek legislative and response measures at the National Assembly level.

Kang Deuk-gu, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, is being interviewed on the 14th at the National Assembly Members' Office Building in Yeouido, Seoul. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

"Eating three meals of grains a day is rice, but policies and bills that must exist in our society for the socially vulnerable are also rice. If the minimum conditions for life are 'rice,' then willingly creating and setting the 'table' is the duty that the National Assembly must fulfill regardless of party lines."

On the 23rd, Kang Deuk-gu, a member of the National Assembly's Education Committee from the Democratic Party of Korea, said in an interview with Asia Economy at the National Assembly Members' Office Building, "Our society needs warm 'rice'."

In August, Kang held a press conference urging that the 7,000 won support rate for the child meal card was insufficient even compared to average dining-out costs and called for an appropriate level reflecting inflation. During the subsequent National Assembly audit, he pointed out that more than 40% of food-insecure children rely on convenience stores for meals and emphasized the need for drastic measures to diversify usage locations. He has consistently voiced the need to improve treatment for food-insecure children. Thanks to these efforts, most local governments have decided to raise the child meal card support rate by 1,000 won either in the second half of this year or from next year.

However, Kang pointed out that there are still 300,000 food-insecure children skipping meals and said, "Among socially vulnerable groups, especially children, we must be more considerate and thoughtful so that they do not feel psychologically withdrawn or hurt." He added, "Regardless of parental environment, minimum conditions must be created for children. Only then can social soundness be pursued." He also expressed concern that food-insecure children could be hit directly by social polarization amid the 'perfect storm (complex economic crisis)' of low growth shock and inflation occurring simultaneously next year, emphasizing the need for legislative discussions at the National Assembly level to establish a minimum safety net for them. He explained that more detailed policy support is needed, including raising the child meal card support rate, diversifying usage locations, considering support costs according to growth stages, proper nutritional intake, and building healthy eating habits.

Kang Deuk-gu, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, is being interviewed on the 14th at the National Assembly Members' Office Building in Yeouido, Seoul. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

Below is a Q&A with Assemblyman Kang.

- Why should we pay attention to food-insecure children now?

= Generally, when an economic crisis occurs, social polarization can worsen. However, regardless of the perfect storm, attention to socially vulnerable groups must continue. Especially regarding children, my basic belief is that society should actively look into whether our children face difficulties living or suffer psychological pain and provide care. Having minimum conditions under any circumstances can create a healthy society.

- In August, you held a press conference urging the realization of the support rate for one meal on the child meal card for food-insecure children and raised the need to diversify usage locations during the National Assembly audit. Are there any shortcomings?

= Although restaurant food prices have risen due to inflation, the support rate for children's meals remains at 6,000 to 7,000 won, leading children to tend to go to convenience stores. During the audit, I pointed out that over 40% of child meal card usage was at convenience stores. I do not hold prejudice against convenience store food, but considering children's daily nutritional intake and caloric needs by growth stage, it is necessary to help food-insecure children develop proper eating habits. We have somewhat succeeded in linking the child meal card with general credit cards so that when children use the card, it does not reveal that they are 'meal support recipients,' preventing psychological withdrawal. However, diversification of usage locations and the meal support rate have not yet been realized.

In Seoul and Gyeonggi Province, the child meal support rate was raised to 8,000 won in August this year, but actual restaurant prices usually range from 8,000 to 9,000 won, with many menus costing up to 10,000 won. This shows that the support is still insufficient. Some local governments still provide only 7,000 won. Since the child meal project has been transferred to local governments, there are disparities. The Ministry of Health and Welfare only monitors the situation, so we need to consider how to resolve this.

As of July, the government's position was not to agree to bring the child meal project back to the central government. There are two perspectives on the child meal project: one is that the state should directly manage it to reduce financial disparities across regions for socially vulnerable groups, and the other is that since it is a community project, it is appropriate to leave it as a local government project. Personally, I think the current state of decentralization should be maintained, but comprehensive consideration is needed on how the state will support or subsidize funding and how to overcome regional disparities through this. Regarding the child meal support rate, it is better to make it flexible linked to food price inflation rather than setting a flat 8,000 won. Food prices have risen sharply compared to other years. (According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare's annual child meal support rate recommendations, the child meal cost was 3,500 won in 2016 and 2017, raised to 4,000 won in 2018 and 2019, 5,000 won in 2020, and then increased by 1,000 won annually to 6,000 won in 2021 and 7,000 won in 2022.)

Kang Deuk-gu, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, is being interviewed on the 14th at the National Assembly Members' Office Building in Yeouido, Seoul. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

- The government said in the 2023 budget plan that it would expand social support for vulnerable groups. What parts of the budget for food-insecure children do you think need supplementation?

= Support budgets for vulnerable groups, including children, should be thicker and broader. This is not a matter of the Democratic Party or the People Power Party. Everyone should naturally care about children, so social consensus is not difficult. Along with this, it is necessary to encourage local government heads to take a more active interest in the child meal project. Legal guidelines should be established to ensure that food-insecure children have the minimum 'right to eat' regardless of where they live. Policies should be made so that no one is discriminated against or loses hope due to living conditions. This is something we all must do.

- What can be done at the National Assembly level?

= The Ministry of Health and Welfare monitors the child meal project annually but has no authority to take other measures. Since the child meal system was decentralized for autonomous operation, local governments cannot be compelled. Therefore, it is necessary to secure legal grounds for the central government to set a minimum meal support rate linked to inflation. Discussions at the National Assembly standing committee level are important, and both the Democratic Party and the People Power Party should jointly consider that 'no child should go hungry.'

Policy-wise, more delicacy is needed. Setting a uniform meal support rate from lower elementary to high school students requires policy supplementation. I will look into and consider these aspects further.

- Do you think South Korea meets the conditions of a developed country?

= South Korea's relative poverty rate (the proportion of people with less than 50% of median income) is 15.3%. The OECD average is 11%, and so-called 'welfare advanced countries' are around 7%. The relative poverty rate is still twice as high compared to welfare advanced countries. It is time to consider how to overcome welfare poverty. In that sense, we are still on the journey toward becoming a welfare state.