"Daejeon Seonhwa Elementary School Emergency Parents' Committee and School Steering Committee"
Call for Legal Amendments to Designate School Cafeterias as National Essential Workplaces
Immediate Introduction of Outsourced Meal Services Until the Law Is Revised
The "Daejeon Seonhwa Elementary School Emergency Parents' Committee and School Steering Committee" held a press conference at 10:30 a.m. on December 3, 2025, in the first-floor lobby of the Daejeon City Council. They appealed, "Due to the school meal workers' union strike, Seonhwa Elementary School has been unable to provide school meals since the last Chuseok holiday, and is currently operating with substitute lunchboxes. The meals for our children must not stop."
They proposed two solutions: "Amend the law to designate school cafeterias as national essential workplaces (essential public service sites), and immediately introduce outsourced meal services until the law is revised."
The parents pointed out that for kindergarteners and lower-grade elementary students, lunch is effectively the main source of daily nutrition. With cold and monotonous lunchboxes being repeatedly served, the minimum standards for calorie, protein, and vegetable intake are not being met.
They further explained that concerns are rising over the lack of allergy labeling, proper storage and serving temperatures, and hygiene management, all of which fall short of school meal standards. As a result, violations of students' right to learn, such as reduced concentration in afternoon classes and emotional instability, are being observed at school.
They noted, "Seonhwa Elementary School previously experienced a prolonged meal service suspension due to an indefinite strike lasting 73 days in 2023. With strikes recurring in 2024 and 2025, parents and families are now living with constant anxiety, not knowing when meal services might be interrupted again."
The School Steering Committee recently visited the Office of Education to meet with Superintendent Seol Dongho, officially requesting immediate measures to protect kindergarten and elementary school students.
One parent who attended the rally said, "This appeal is a desperate plea to protect the right to health of our children, who have to eat lunchboxes without understanding the reason why. As parents, we simply want our children to have warm meals during this cold winter," she said tearfully.
Kim Yeonsu, Chair of the Seonhwa Elementary School Steering Committee, stated, "Strikes that use kindergarteners and elementary students as hostages must stop immediately. While we respect the right to strike, our children's meals must never be used as a bargaining chip."
He further urged, "The Office of Education and local governments must immediately implement measures to ensure that warm meals are regularly provided even during strikes."
He emphasized, "Practical solutions such as deploying substitute personnel through designation as a national essential workplace and introducing outsourced meal services must be put into action immediately to keep school cafeterias running without interruption."
On this day, they submitted a petition signed by 1,433 parents-titled "Petition for the Protection of Children's Right to Health and Learning and for the Normalization of Meal Services in Response to the Meal Service Disruption at Daejeon Seonhwa Elementary School Affiliated Kindergarten"-to the Mayor of Daejeon, the Chair of the Daejeon City Council, and the Superintendent of the Daejeon Office of Education.
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