Criticism Over Meal Discrimination Controversy in Chungbuk Province
"Used Youth Space but Lacked Encouragement and Empathy"
On the 16th, Heo Eun-ah, a member of the People Power Party, criticized the controversy that arose after the governor and members of the National Assembly, who had just finished a policy meeting at a university dormitory building, received special meals in the student cafeteria. She questioned, "Is this 21st-century 'ban-sang' discrimination, or is it an outdated sense of authority that they still cannot let go of?"
On the same day, Heo shared an article on Facebook reporting that Governor Kim Young-hwan of Chungbuk and the National Assembly members from the Chungbuk constituency received special meals after a budget policy meeting held on the 9th at the Chungbuk Dormitory in Seoul.
The Chungbuk Dormitory houses 356 students from Chungbuk attending universities in Seoul and is located in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul.
The meeting was attended by Governor Kim Young-hwan, eight local National Assembly members, and about 20 key department heads. After the meeting, the attendees had dinner in the dormitory’s student cafeteria, but the difference in menus between them and the students sparked controversy.
According to the article, the special meal menu for Governor Kim and the assembly members included abalone innards rice, beef shank hot pot, braised pork ribs, and fried eel. In contrast, the students ate curry rice, soybean paste soup, and pickled radish.
The article pointed out, "When considering the cost of the dinner ingredients that day, the banquet including braised ribs was 28,000 won, while the students’ curry rice was 2,700 won, showing a difference of more than tenfold." About 160 university students ate dinner at the cafeteria that evening.
Regarding this, Representative Heo said, "This is why even the 1,000-won meal visits by ruling and opposition parties were criticized as mere experiential tasting shows," adding, "Although they borrowed the youth space and used it together, there was neither encouragement nor empathy." She warned, "The height of the partition between braised ribs, eel, and curry will become a boomerang, raising the partition of public sentiment and returning as a whip."
In response to the controversy, the Chungbuk provincial office explained, "Since the National Assembly is nearby, the event was held at the Chungbuk Dormitory," and apologized, saying, "We never imagined that the students would feel uncomfortable."
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