Korea University Initiates ‘1,000-won Breakfast’ Program for 2024 School Year
On March 4, Korea University began its ‘1,000-won breakfast’ program for the 2024 school year. KU President Kim Dong-one visited a cafeteria at the Student Union Building at 8:30 in the morning on March 5 to join students for the 1,000-won breakfast. This year, the university decided to expand its already existing program at two student cafeterias to include an additional dormitory cafeteria, allowing more students to have their hearty breakfast for only 1,000 won.
Before the 1,000-won breakfast program started in earnest, the university had already been offering the ‘Hearty Morning’ service since November 2018. The breakfast service was provided by funds raised from the KU Pride Club (KUPC), a small-amount donation campaign to which participants are encouraged to donate more than 10,000 won per month. In October 2022, the ‘Hearty Morning’ service resumed after a temporary suspension due to the pandemic. In fact, during the second semester of 2022, approximately 30,000 people were offered the ‘Hearty Morning’ service. Later, the university was selected as one of participants in the ‘1,000-won Breakfast Project 2023’ run by the Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and the Korea Agency of Education, Promotion and Information Service in Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (EPIS).
Last year when KU President Kim Dong-one was inaugurated, he joined students for the ‘1,000-won breakfast.’ While talking over breakfast with students, President Kim heard that students had difficulties in living due to high prices. After gathering opinions from students, President Kim decided to remove limits on the number of people who can access the 1,000-won breakfast program and provide the meal without any restriction. As a result, about 1,000 people a day came to have the 1,000-won breakfast at Korea University during the 2023 school year and the level of meal satisfaction was found to be very high among students.
President Kim said, “I am pleased to see students having breakfast in this early morning. I am also delighted that, by expanding the breakfast service to a cafeteria at the University Dormitory from 2024, students staying at the dorm can have breakfast without coming all the way down to the campus. In the era of high prices, we will do our best to help students not worry about breakfast at least so that they can start their day with more energy.”
Kim Seo-yeong, who entered the university in 2021 and now majoring in Korean Language Education, joined the 1,000-won breakfast that day, saying “I have come here often since last year to have the 1,000-won breakfast. Since I live alone, it is quite hard to have a proper meal in the morning. I think it’s really great and I feel grateful for this balanced meal at only 1,000 won.”
The 1,000-won breakfast is offered during weekdays except summer and winter vacations at three places on campus: two student cafeterias (Student Union Cafeteria and Aegineung Student Center Cafeteria) and the cafeteria at Anam Dormitory. There is no participant limit at the two student cafeterias while the one at Anam Dormitory serves a total of 200 meals on a first-come first-served basis. For the first semester, the breakfast program runs till the last day of semester, June 21 (Fri), and for the second semester, the program starts on September 2 (Mon) and runs through to December 20 (Fri). Anyone enrolled in Korea University as undergraduate or graduate student is welcomed to have their breakfast at 1,000 won. By tagging their student IDs to verify their identification, they can buy meal tickets at kiosks and have hearty meals.