'Did Kim Dongyeon's Mediation Work?'... Gyeonggi Office of Education Puts School Meal Ingredient Purchasing Reform on Hold

The conflict between the Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education and the Citizens' Coalition Committee over the method of purchasing ingredients for school meals is shifting toward resolution, thanks to the mediation of Kim Dongyeon, Governor of Gyeonggi Province.

Kang Minseok, spokesperson for Gyeonggi Province, stated, "On August 7, Governor Kim Dongyeon spoke with Lim Taehee, Superintendent of the Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education, and was informed that the provincial office has decided to put on hold its measures related to the 'school meal ingredient purchasing method.'"

Earlier that morning, Superintendent Lim Taehee visited the press room of the provincial office of education and announced that the plan to limit the number of direct contracts with the same supplier for school meal ingredient supply to five times per year would be put on hold.

This conflict was triggered when the provincial office of education sent an official notice to local schools on July 23, 2025, stating its intention to improve the method of purchasing school meal ingredients.

Kim Dongyeon Governor of Gyeonggi Province

The core of the notice was to shift the purchasing contracts for ingredients, which had previously been made through direct contracts, to competitive bidding, and to limit the number of direct contracts to five times per year. The provincial office of education cited the increasing financial burden on the education office, the need to reduce the budget, and the improvement of the monopolistic supply structure as reasons for the change in purchasing methods.

However, following the announcement of this policy, not only city and county meal centers, producer organizations, and parents, but also civic groups such as Gyeonggi Food Solidarity, the Gyeonggi branch of the Parents for True Education Association, the Gyeonggi School Meal Parent Monitoring Group, the Gyeonggi Eco-Friendly Farmers' Association, the G Mark Livestock Association Council, and the Gyeonggi (city and county) School Meal Support Center Council strongly objected.

Such opposition arises because, from the perspective of farmers, it is a reality that they cannot engage in eco-friendly agricultural production unless their income is guaranteed, and for schools, it is essential to secure producers who can supply eco-friendly agricultural products continuously and safely.

Governor Kim had also called Superintendent Lim Taehee on August 6 and made it clear that Gyeonggi Province could not accept the guidelines of the provincial office of education.

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