Na Gwangguk of South Jeolla Provincial Council Urges Breakfast Support for Workers

Proposal for Breakfast Support Program for Industrial Complex Workers in the Province
Emphasizing Health Promotion and Boosting Consumption of Local Agricultural and Marine Products

Kwangguk Na, Jeonnam Provincial Assembly Member (Democratic Party of Korea, Muan 2), emphasized the need for a breakfast support program for workers in industrial complexes in the province during a 5-minute free speech at the Jeonnam Provincial Assembly plenary session on the 28th. Provided by Jeonnam Provincial Assembly

There have been calls within the South Jeolla Provincial Council to support breakfast for workers.

On July 28, Na Gwangguk, a member of the South Jeolla Provincial Council (Democratic Party of Korea, Muan 2), proposed a breakfast support program for workers in industrial complexes during a five-minute free speech at the plenary session of the South Jeolla Provincial Council.

According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency's National Health Statistics, as of 2023, the national breakfast skipping rate was 34.6%, which is more than a 10 percentage point (24.1%) increase compared to ten years ago. By age group, the rate was 57.2% among those in their 20s (ages 19-29) and 41.3% among those in their 30s and 40s (ages 30-49), showing that breakfast skipping is particularly high among economically active age groups.

Na stated, "Recently, North Jeolla Province, South Gyeongsang Province, and Gwangju Metropolitan City have been supporting industrial complex workers by enabling them to purchase simple meals such as gimbap and sandwiches at more than half off the regular price," urging South Jeolla Province to implement a similar program.

The breakfast support program for industrial complex workers was first launched nationwide in 2023 in Gwangju Metropolitan City, where the city provides simple meals for 200 workers every morning at Hanam Industrial Complex and Cheomdan Industrial Complex.

Recently, Wanju County in North Jeolla Province and Miryang City in South Gyeongsang Province have also been implementing breakfast support programs for workers, receiving a positive response. Wanju County plans to improve the quality of simple meal menus with government budget support in the second half of this year, and South Gyeongsang Province will further expand the program sites based on a demand survey.

Na emphasized, "When enacting the 'South Jeolla Province Breakfast Support Ordinance' in 2023, there was an attempt to include workers as beneficiaries, but it was abandoned due to financial burdens. However, President Lee Jaemyung promised the '1,000 won breakfast for workers' program during his candidacy, and with more local governments implementing breakfast support programs for industrial complex workers, the situation has now changed."

He added, "This program will have a positive impact across the region, going beyond a simple welfare policy by promoting worker health, improving work efficiency and corporate competitiveness, and boosting consumption of local agricultural and marine products. I will strive to ensure that the breakfast support program for workers, who are the strong foundation of the local economy, can be implemented."

Meanwhile, Na Gwangguk previously proposed the implementation of a 'breakfast support program' and a 'breakfast-eating campaign' in September 2022 in response to the rice price crash.