Songpa-gu to Increase Stores Accepting 'Kkum Namu Card' for Children at Risk of Food Insecurity

Win-Win Effect Expected from Helping Food-Insecure Children and Small Business Owners

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[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Songpa-gu (Mayor Park Seong-su) is expanding the number of affiliated stores for the meal support card, ‘Kkum Namu Card,’ to provide a more diverse menu of meals to children at risk of food insecurity.

Currently, the district supports meals for children at risk of food insecurity through three methods: lunch boxes, the Kkum Namu Card, and group meal centers. Among these, the ‘Kkum Namu Card’ is a system that provides meal expenses via an electronic card instead of paper meal tickets. It is the most preferred method (61.1%) as children can choose their menu according to their preferences. It can be used at 91 local businesses including convenience stores, snack bars, bakeries, and Chinese restaurants.

However, except for convenience stores that have agreements with their headquarters, individual store owners must apply for affiliation directly at the district office or community service centers, which has caused inconvenience and limited the variety of affiliated stores.

Therefore, starting in March, the district began recruiting more affiliated stores to broaden the choices for children at risk of food insecurity and to provide a more diverse menu.

For about 150 local businesses with prices and product offerings suitable for children and adolescents, affiliation guidance was provided via mail and on-site visits, and applications can now also be submitted by fax.

Additionally, information on affiliated stores is published once a month on the Songpa-gu Office website to actively promote the benefits of affiliation such as increased sales and community welfare practice, encouraging more stores to join.

A snack bar owner who has been affiliated for one year said, “In a situation where customers have decreased due to COVID-19, the children using the Kkum Namu Card have helped my sales, and I feel rewarded to be able to provide delicious food to the children,” sharing their participation experience.

Mayor Park Seong-su of Songpa-gu stated, “The Kkum Namu Card has a win-win effect benefiting both children at risk of food insecurity and local small business owners,” and added, “We will work harder to expand affiliated stores so that children and adolescents in difficult situations can grow hope for the future with the interest of the local community.”

The Kkum Namu Card support targets children under 18 years old, both in and out of school, who are at risk of food insecurity due to difficulty in meal provision by guardians, including recipients of public assistance, low-income families, and single-parent families.

Depending on the support category, the card can be used for amounts ranging from 6,000 KRW to 12,000 KRW per day.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.