School Meals Act Requiring at Least Two Nutrition Teachers Passes Judiciary Committee After Much Debate

Measures to Ensure Health Rights of School Meal Workers

The partial amendment to the School Meals Act, which stipulates that schools above a certain size must employ at least two nutrition teachers, passed the legislative review of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee at the National Assembly on December 18.

The Legislation and Judiciary Committee convened a plenary meeting that day and, after debate, approved the amendment to the School Meals Act. This law addresses the health rights of school meal workers, who have long endured chronic understaffing and high-intensity labor. It requires the national and local governments to devise policies necessary to ensure the health and safety of school meal staff and mandates that schools above a certain size, as specified by Presidential Decree, must have at least two nutrition teachers. Additionally, the amendment includes a provision to establish a standard for the appropriate number of students per school meal worker, to be determined by Presidential Decree.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance Koo Yoon-chul is responding to a lawmaker's question at the plenary meeting of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee held at the National Assembly on December 18, 2025. Photo by Kim Hyun-min

This bill was originally processed through bipartisan agreement in the Education Committee and other related committees. However, controversy arose after the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and others raised concerns about the requirement to have at least two nutrition teachers. The Ministry of the Interior and Safety stated, "Specifying the standard for the number of teachers, who are national public servants, in the law could make government personnel management rigid," and suggested that the provision should be discretionary, changing 'must have at least two nutrition teachers' to 'may have at least two nutrition teachers.'

In response, Kweak Kyutaek, a lawmaker from the People Power Party, commented, "School meals were suspended due to issues regarding the treatment of meal staff, but isn't this collective action using students as leverage?" He added, "The Ministry of the Interior and Safety's suggestion for a discretionary provision is also reasonable." He further pointed out, "There is no precedent for legally mandating at least two nutrition teachers, so why is this law being treated differently?" In relation to this, Kim Yongmin, a Democratic Party lawmaker who served as acting chair of the committee that day, stated, "The School Health Act already has a mandatory provision requiring at least two health teachers in schools above a certain size, so the School Meals Act is not unique in this regard." During the debate, Jeon Hyunhee, a Democratic Party lawmaker, argued, "It is necessary to establish a legal basis to protect the rights and interests of nutrition teachers and school meal workers."

During the discussions, there was a possibility that the bill would be put to a show-of-hands vote instead of bipartisan agreement, but after further debate, it was ultimately passed unanimously by both parties.