Assembly Member Prefers Abalone and Eel, Students Get Curry Rice... Controversy Over 'Meal Discrimination' in Chungbuk Province

Dinner at the Student Cafeteria After Policy Meeting
Special Meal for Governor Kim Young-hwan and Local Lawmakers
"Instead of Encouraging Students, They Only Have Special Meals for Themselves"

Politicians visiting a university dormitory building sparked controversy by discriminating in the meal menu while dining with students.

According to a report by MBC Chungbuk on the 15th, Chungcheongbuk-do held a budget policy meeting on the 9th at the Chungbuk Dormitory Seo Seoul Hall located in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, inviting local members of the National Assembly. The meeting was held to discuss major provincial government issues and key government budget projects for the next year, attended by Governor Kim Young-hwan of Chungbuk, eight local lawmakers, and about 20 key department heads.

[Photo by MBC Chungbuk]

The Chungbuk Dormitory is a local dormitory where university students from Chungcheongbuk-do reside when they come to Seoul. After the meeting, the attendees had dinner at the Chungbuk Dormitory student cafeteria. Governor Kim and the lawmakers ate inside a partitioned area set up in the cafeteria, while their aides ate in the same space as the students. About 160 students ate dinner at the cafeteria that evening.

The problem was that the menus for the meeting attendees and the students were completely different. Governor Kim, the lawmakers, and their aides were served ten dishes including abalone innards seaweed rice, beef brisket hot pot, LA-style pork ribs stew, and fried eel. In contrast, the students were served curry rice, soybean paste soup, and pickled radish.

The cost of the banquet for this event was 28,000 won, reportedly more than ten times higher than the students’ meal (2,700 won). Despite visiting the dormitory where students from the region reside, the officials were criticized for eating only 'special meals' for themselves instead of encouraging the students.

Netizens who heard the news responded with comments such as, "How nice would it have been if they had given the kids special meals since they came all the way here. How can they expect to win the hearts of the 2030 generation without even thinking about this?", "While students are eating curry rice, the high-ranking officials are tearing into abalone and ribs stew," and "The worst thing in the world is discrimination through food."

A parent pointed out, “If they were going anyway, it would have been much better if they ate the same menu as the kids, encouraged the students, and also listened to complaints about the dormitory.”

In response to the controversy, Chungcheongbuk-do explained, "Since Yeouido and the National Assembly are nearby, the event was held at the dormitory. We never thought the students would feel uncomfortable."