Jongno-gu Increases Child Meal Card Rate from 6,000 Won to 9,000 Won... Highest Level Nationwide

Up to 18,000 KRW per day available, expected to contribute to solving child nutrition imbalance issues

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Jongno-gu (District Mayor Kim Young-jong) will provide the nation’s highest level of meal support for children at risk of food insecurity starting in May.

They have decided to increase the existing meal card (Kkum Namu Card) support from 6,000 KRW per meal by adding district funds to raise it to 9,000 KRW.

The meal card program supports children under 18 who are at risk of food insecurity due to economic or family circumstances by providing 6,000 KRW per meal.

However, according to Seoul’s price information, the average dining-out cost in Jongno-gu is around 8,000 to 9,000 KRW, which significantly limits the number of regular restaurants that children can actually use.

Accordingly, a self-conducted survey last month on the usage of the meal cards revealed that children mostly use the cards at convenience stores, bakeries, and then regular restaurants, in that order.

It was also confirmed that children often consume retort foods and ready meals at convenience stores, which are cheaper and more accessible than regular restaurants.

To address the nutritional imbalance that hinders the development of growing children and to provide realistic support for dining-out costs, Jongno-gu decided to add 3,000 KRW per meal from its own budget, raising the total support amount to 9,000 KRW per meal.

As a result, about 180 children in the district who use the meal cards will be able to spend up to 18,000 KRW per day on meals starting in May.

Meanwhile, this meal support aligns with Seoul City’s schedule to expand the usage locations for the child meal cards.

The city, in consultation with Shinhan Card and 25 autonomous districts, expanded the usage locations from the 30th of this month to allow child meal cards to be used at any Shinhan Card merchant in Seoul. However, establishments judged to sell menus unsuitable for a meal, such as pubs, entertainment food venues, and cafes, are excluded.

An application to assist users will also be launched on the 30th. By using the ‘Seoul City Kkum Namu Card’ application, users can easily check all affiliated merchants within Jongno-gu where the meal card can be used.

District Mayor Kim Young-jong said, “I hope this meal support will help children who often have to eat alone at home due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic,” and added, “We will provide more careful assistance so that children at risk of food insecurity can have nutritious meals close to their homes.”

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