Seoul Prosecutors' Offices and Courts Cafeterias Crowded with Citizens at Lunch
Affordable Meals with Balanced Diets and Great Value Compared to Nearby Restaurants
Around noon on the 12th, office workers began entering the main gate of the Seoul Southern District Court in Sinwol-dong, Yangcheon-gu, Seoul. They were not there for trials but were 'diners' coming for lunch. They lined up to buy meal tickets at the court cafeteria located on the basement first floor. The lunch menu at the Southern District Court cafeteria that day included crown daisy fish cake soup, fish cutlet, bibim noodles, black sesame lotus root salad, seasoned mung bean sprouts, and napa cabbage kimchi. Although nothing seemed special, it was popular due to the affordable price of 6,000 KRW per person. Nearby restaurants around the Southern District Court generally charged more, with jajangmyeon at 7,000 KRW, sundae guk (Korean blood sausage soup) at 8,900 KRW, and pork cutlet at 9,000 KRW.
Office worker Moon Jin-soo (35), who visited the cafeteria, said, “I often use the Southern District Court cafeteria because the prices are low and the food tastes good.” The cafeteria sells ramen for 4,000 KRW before and after lunch for those who missed a meal and also operates a caf?, attracting continuous visits from outsiders.
Around 11 a.m. on the 12th, the basement first-floor cafeteria and cafe at Seoul Southern District Court. Even though it is well before lunchtime, visitors to the cafeteria are noticeable. Photo by Hwang Seoyul chestnut@
More people have been visiting investigation and judicial institutions such as courts and prosecutors' offices, places that the general public rarely visits and tends to avoid, during lunchtime. This is because, amid ongoing high inflation, people are choosing to have their meals at government office cafeterias, which are relatively inexpensive.
In Seoul, besides the Seoul Central District Court and Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, there are district courts and prosecutors' offices in the east, west, south, and north. According to a summary of Asia Economy's coverage on the 15th, the Seoul Eastern District Court, Western District Court, Southern District Court, Northern District Court, and the Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors' Office, Western District Prosecutors' Office, Southern District Prosecutors' Office, and Northern District Prosecutors' Office all open their cafeterias to the public during lunchtime. Meal tickets are sold at about 4,500 to 5,000 KRW for employees and slightly higher at 5,500 to 6,000 KRW for the general public.
The prices are lower than those at regular restaurants, and the menus are well-balanced with rice and side dishes, making them popular. Especially among the younger generation who value 'cost-effectiveness,' the preference for cafeterias is increasing. This trend has become more pronounced recently due to continued high inflation. Lunch prices for office workers have already exceeded 10,000 KRW. The prices of bibimbap and cold noodles, which were previously affordable, have surpassed 10,000 KRW in the Seoul area. According to 'Chamgagaek,' a price information portal by the Korea Consumer Agency on the 19th, the price of bibimbap rose by 8.6% in March this year to 10,192 KRW, and the price of cold noodles increased by 7.3% to 10,692 KRW.
According to Statistics Korea, the dining-out price index last month was 117.15 (2020=100), up 0.7% from the previous month. The dining-out price index has been rising continuously for 29 months since December 2020. The cumulative increase in dining-out prices over 29 months reached 16.8%. The price increases were especially high for hamburgers (27.8%), pizza (24.3%), gimbap (23.2%), galbitang (22.5%), and ramen (21.2%).
Professor Lee Eun-hee of Inha University's Department of Consumer Studies explained, “As dining-out prices rise, more people will visit government office cafeterias.”
Unlike prosecutors' offices and courts, police stations in Seoul have not widely opened their cafeterias to the general public. In the past, many police station cafeterias in Seoul were open to the public and were consistently popular among nearby office workers. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and complaints from surrounding restaurants, many police stations currently do not allow public dining. As of May, only a few police stations in Seoul, such as Mapo, Seongdong, and Seongbuk Police Stations, have cafeterias open to the public.
Previously, most police stations in Seoul opened their cafeterias to visitors and outsiders, but most closed them following protests from the food service industry. Representative cases include Jungbu, Yongsan, Hyehwa, and Yeongdeungpo Police Stations. The Korea Foodservice Industry Association filed complaints in 2019, stating, “Police station cafeterias, which are considered collective catering facilities under the Food Sanitation Act, should not sell meal tickets to unspecified many, so we ask for cooperation.”
According to relevant laws, cafeterias in public institutions such as police stations must operate as non-profit 'collective catering facilities.' A police station official said, “We have always understood that cafeterias should not engage in profit-making activities targeting unspecified many,” adding, “Our police station operates the cafeteria solely for employee welfare.”
Police stations that originally allowed outsiders to dine in their cafeterias but switched to disallowing it as part of COVID-19 social distancing measures generally continue to open cafeterias only to employees and some visitors even after the easing of distancing. Bangbae, Seodaemun, and Namdaemun Police Stations fall into this category.
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