Governor Kim Donggon Establishes Public and Free Meal Services at 200 Senior Centers in Cheongyang County

First in the Nation to Introduce Free Meal Services, Followed by Gradual Expansion
Achievements in Food Care Linked with Local Agricultural Products

Kim Donggon, Governor of Cheongyang County

The senior center meal welfare policy promoted by Kim Donggon, Governor of Cheongyang County, South Chungcheong Province, has now been fully implemented at 200 locations. This model, which combines public meal services and free meal provision, was the first of its kind in the country and, after a phased expansion, has become a core welfare infrastructure for super-aged rural communities.

On January 13, the county announced that, starting from the 12th, it has expanded the number of senior centers eligible for public and free meal support to a total of 200.

This project is a core component of Governor Kim’s consistently pursued “food care” policy.

The public meal support project for senior centers was piloted in 2020 and has been expanded each year. Last year, it covered 90 centers; this year, it has increased to 150, adding 60 more senior centers. Each center receives a package of Cheongyang-grown agricultural products and food ingredients once a week.

The free meal service for senior centers, also introduced for the first time in the country by Governor Kim, began last year as a pilot at 50 centers. It focuses on small-scale senior centers lacking cooking staff, providing semi-cooked and fully cooked meal kits once a week for lunch.

All food ingredients and side dishes are supplied using agricultural products produced within the county. The Cheongyang County Regional Revitalization Foundation is responsible for operations, which has established a stable annual consumption base for local agricultural products.

Cheongyang County has been delivering food ingredient packages and meal kits (side dishes) to senior centers since the 12th. / Cheongyang County

The county has integrated the production, processing, and supply system for food ingredients, centering on the Food Town and the Regional Revitalization Foundation, to ensure stable operation of senior center meal services. This is evaluated as a regionally tailored food care system linked to central government policy.

Governor Kim Donggon stated, “The most fundamental aspect of elderly care is meals,” and added, “We institutionalized senior center meal provision, not as welfare, but as essential infrastructure.”

Based on this meal system, Cheongyang County is operating the “Cheongyang-style Multi-Care” model in connection with rural agreements, gradually expanding the scope of care to include food, daily living, health, and mobility support.