Seongdong-gu to Launch Eco-Friendly Free Meals in Kindergartens Next Year

On the 8th, an agreement was signed to expand free school meals from March 2022 to include kindergartens... Supporting joint purchases of eco-friendly rice and domestically produced kimchi along with free kindergarten meals to ensure high-quality school meals

Jung Won-oh, Mayor of Seongdong-gu, who participated in the free meal service agreement ceremony for kindergartens (far right)

[Asia Economy Reporter Jong-il Park] Seongdong-gu (Mayor Jeong Won-oh) announced that it will expand free school meals, which have been provided to elementary, middle, and high school students, to include kindergartens starting in 2022.

On the 8th, Jeong Won-oh, head of the Welfare TF Team of the Seoul Metropolitan Council of Mayors, who participated in the ‘Seoul Metropolitan Government and Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education Agreement Ceremony for the Implementation of Eco-friendly Free Meals in Seoul Kindergartens,’ pledged to actively implement the agreement to have local governments share responsibility for meal costs that parents have shouldered so far.

At the ceremony attended by Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education Superintendent Cho Hee-yeon, Chairman of the Seoul Metropolitan Council of Mayors Lee Sung, and Chairman of the Seoul Metropolitan Council Education Committee Choi Ki-chan, Seoul Metropolitan Government, 25 autonomous districts, and the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education agreed to fully implement eco-friendly free meals for all public and private kindergartens in Seoul starting March next year.

According to the agreement, the annual budget will be shared with 50% by the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, 30% by the Seoul Metropolitan Government, and 20% by the autonomous districts. The recommended usage rate of eco-friendly ingredients for free meals in 2022, currently at 40%, will be increased annually by 10% until 2025, reaching 70%, which is the current level for elementary, middle, and high schools.

Additionally, Seongdong-gu plans to support the joint purchase of eco-friendly rice and domestically produced kimchi, which has been provided to elementary, middle, and high schools, together with the kindergarten free meal program.

The joint purchase of eco-friendly rice will provide subsidies to cover the price difference so that the more expensive eco-friendly rice can be used. The subsidy will be 70 KRW per meal for kindergarten and elementary students, 90 KRW for middle school students, and 100 KRW for high school students.

Furthermore, the joint purchase of domestically produced kimchi aims to establish a stable supply system for 100% domestically produced kimchi, conduct continuous quality control including safety inspections, and provide safe school meals.

With the full implementation of free meals in kindergartens next year, it is expected that children will receive meals of equally high quality, realizing the completion of educational welfare.

The eco-friendly free meal program for kindergartens was finalized through the operation of a working TF team and an educational administrative council by Seoul Metropolitan Government, Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, and autonomous districts, determining support unit costs, funding sharing ratios, and implementation timing.

Seongdong-gu has made various efforts to rationally reorganize the differing welfare benefits among autonomous districts, which cause inequality among residents and lead to populist and competitive welfare expenditures, placing a burden on local government finances.

Jeong Won-oh, Mayor of Seongdong-gu, led the ‘Welfare Grand Compromise TF Team’ of the Seoul Metropolitan Council of Mayors to achieve autonomous agreements between Seoul Metropolitan Government and autonomous districts focusing on three major social welfare projects to establish a sustainable welfare system.

First, the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, Seoul Metropolitan Government, and autonomous districts gathered opinions to jointly fund the support project for middle and high school students’ entrance preparation expenses. They also played a central role in unifying support by setting limits on increases during specific periods to resolve inequalities caused by differential support for childbirth congratulatory money and veterans’ allowances by district.

Jeong Won-oh, Mayor of Seongdong-gu, said, “We will provide high-quality and safe food so that our children, who are our future, can grow up healthy,” and added, “We will do our best to realize solid universal educational welfare in the educational field.”

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