Han Kiho of People Power Party Leads Passage of Military Meal Act
Clarifies State Responsibility for Military Meals and Supports Border Area Farmers
A bill aimed at improving the quality of military meals and supporting farmers in border areas has passed the National Assembly plenary session.
Han Kiho, a member of the National Defense Committee from the People Power Party, announced on July 3 that the "Basic Act on Military Meals," which includes these provisions, was passed in the plenary session of the National Assembly with 266 members present, 264 in favor, and 2 abstentions.
According to Representative Han, military meals have long been operated solely based on the presidential decree "Military Meal Regulations," despite the fact that they are not just simple meals but factors that affect intangible combat power such as morale and service attitude. In particular, Representative Han explained that during the Moon Jae-in administration, the shift from private contracts to full competitive bidding as a solution to poor-quality military meals led to considerable backlash, especially among farms supplying the military.
To address these issues, the newly enacted law passed by the National Assembly clarifies the state's responsibility for military meals by requiring the Minister of National Defense to establish and implement guidelines for military meals annually, and by mandating that the heads of each unit directly manage and operate meal services to improve the quality of meals for service members and contribute to their health.
Additionally, to ensure stable procurement of food ingredients during both peacetime and wartime, the law allows the Minister of National Defense and the heads of military units to entrust national projects to the state, local governments, public institutions, or individuals who meet certain criteria or qualifications specified by the Ministry of National Defense. Furthermore, to alleviate the difficulties faced by military supply farms and to secure stable sales channels, the law establishes an institutional basis that gives priority to agricultural, livestock, and marine products produced in the region, including border areas, for supply to military units with large-scale meal requirements.
Representative Han stated, "As this achievement reflects the demands from the field after long-term communication with the military and farmers, I hope the military meal environment will be greatly improved, and that farmers can focus on farming with peace of mind thanks to stable ingredient supply."
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