"University Community Hopes for More Student Benefits with 'Cheonwon's Breakfast' Budget Increase"

233 Million Units This Year, Increasing to 4.5 Million Units Next Year
Provision Period Extended by One Month to 8 Months Annually

At around 9:20 a.m. on the 22nd, at Kyung Hee University’s Pureunsol Student Cafeteria in Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul, the "1,000 Won Breakfast" offered during the semester was not available due to the vacation period. Still, some students visited the cafeteria. They started their day by eating bibimbap, the menu of the day.

The cafeteria was not as crowded as during the semester, but students came one or two at a time during the 50-minute breakfast service starting at 9 a.m. Some students appeared confused when they came expecting to use the 1,000 Won Breakfast service.

Kim (26), a senior majoring in Accounting and Taxation at this university, said with an embarrassed smile, "The 1,000 Won Breakfast helped me develop a habit of eating breakfast, but I didn’t know it wasn’t available during vacation. 4,000 won is a bit more than I expected to pay."

He added, "My lifestyle has changed, and I try to start my day with breakfast whenever possible. Since it was so affordable, I was worried the 1,000 Won Breakfast might disappear next year, so I’m glad to hear the budget will be increased."

At around 9:20 a.m. on the 22nd, at the Pureunsol Student Cafeteria of Kyung Hee University in Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul. Despite the vacation, some students are visiting the cafeteria for breakfast.
[Photo by Choi Taewon]

The budget for the 1,000 Won Breakfast program for next year was recently approved by the National Assembly. University students, who have been struggling with high prices, welcomed the news, and universities are discussing expanding the program in line with the increased funding.

The 1,000 Won Breakfast program is a joint initiative between schools and the government to provide breakfast to university students for 1,000 won. The National Assembly included an increase of 530 million won in the budget for this program in the next year’s budget, approved at the plenary session on the 21st. As a result, the program will expand from serving 2.33 million meals this year to 4.5 million meals next year, and the service period will be extended by one month to eight months.

University students unanimously welcomed the news. Kim Woo-jin (25), a senior in Sociology whom we met at the student cafeteria that day, said, "From a student’s perspective, financial concerns are one of the biggest worries. I went to eat the 1,000 Won Breakfast this year, but there were many times it was already sold out. I hope with the increased budget, I can eat it more often next year."

Hong (25), a senior in the medical school, also said, "Even buying one kimbap at a convenience store costs more than 1,000 won. With limited living expenses, the 1,000 Won Breakfast is a big help."

Some students said the program helped them develop a habit of eating breakfast. Han (24), a junior majoring in English Language and Literature, said, "Since the 1,000 Won Breakfast started, I’ve developed a habit of eating breakfast," smiling as she added, "It feels like I have more energy in the morning." Various suggestions for improving the program followed. Hong said, "It’s so popular that if you go just a little late, you can’t get it. Increasing the number of meals served would be the best improvement."

Gu (24), a junior in Sociology, said, "There are quite a few students who stay on campus during vacation. I hope the service period could be extended to cover the vacation, even on a small scale," and added, "If possible, increasing the variety of menus and the number of meals served would increase satisfaction." Han also said, "If the budget has increased, I hope support can be extended to universities that don’t currently participate," adding, "The 1,000 Won Breakfast I experienced this year was satisfying without any shortage. I hope various students can benefit from it."

In line with the budget increase, universities are also considering improvements and expansions of the program. A representative from Chung-Ang University Seoul Campus, which received the highest award for excellent operation of the 1,000 Won Breakfast program selected by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs this year, explained, "We have not yet entered full discussions because it is not confirmed how much support each university will receive."

The Chung-Ang University representative said, "Once the support amount is confirmed, we plan to discuss improvement measures with all possibilities open, including increasing the number of meals served, diversifying menus, and extending operating hours." A representative from Kyung Hee University Seoul Campus, which won an excellence award, also said, "We will identify what students want based on the increased funding and explore ways to expand the program."

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