Soldier Poor Meal TF... Will It Be Different This Time?

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] The Ministry of National Defense has decided to launch a 'Task Force (TF) for Improving Soldiers' Living Conditions' to address the poor living conditions of soldiers revealed by the provision of substandard meals to troops quarantined as a preventive measure against COVID-19.

On the 1st, the Ministry of National Defense announced plans to launch the 'Task Force for Improving Soldiers' Living Conditions,' led by Vice Minister Park Jae-min, on the 3rd.

This TF will be composed of four improvement teams (about 40 members) focusing on meals and clothing, facilities, welfare and medical care, and personnel and barracks. Its role is to inspect the current situation and devise countermeasures. It aims to identify and fundamentally improve military corruption triggered by poor meals provided to quarantined soldiers across all areas.

The council includes two active-duty cooks (sergeants) from army units in the Seoul metropolitan area and one reservist who previously served as a cook. They were included to improve the harsh working conditions of cooks, who are criticized for being overworked due to poor cooking environments and insufficient personnel in military units.

In this regard, on the 29th of last month, Mr. A, who identified himself as an army training center cook, posted on the Facebook page 'Delivered on Behalf of the Army Training Center' that "about 12 to 14 personnel are responsible for cooking meals for up to 3,000 people," and lamented that "due to the poor meal quality issue, the workload has increased and become more exhausting."

This claim that one cook prepares three meals a day for about 200 people far exceeds the average cooking scale per cook of 75 to 110 servings, as understood by the army. Among the approximately 550,000 personnel across the army, navy, and air force, cooks make up only about 1.6%, roughly 9,000 individuals.

Additionally, military nutritionists, mess management officers (non-commissioned officers), and members of the soldiers' meal and clothing mothers' monitoring group will also participate. Professors from departments of food and nutrition, food engineering, and clothing science are included in the TF. The issue of 'meal outsourcing,' which the military authorities are promoting, is expected to be discussed in earnest.

The Ministry of National Defense is considering expanding the meal outsourcing system, currently being piloted at the candidate dining hall of the Army Non-Commissioned Officer Academy, to army training centers and other military education and training institutions based on evaluation results. The participation of deputy chiefs of staff from the army, navy, and air force, as well as the deputy commander of the Marine Corps, is for this reason.

Furthermore, mid-level officials from various ministries including the Ministry of Strategy and Finance, Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, Ministry of SMEs and Startups, Ministry of Health and Welfare, Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs, Defense Acquisition Program Administration, and Public Procurement Service are also expected to join the TF.

A military official stated, "The TF to be launched this time will discuss the military's meal supply system, medical care, and barracks issues from a zero-base perspective to seek alternatives."

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