Seongbuk-gu-Kookmin University celebrates one year anniversary of project implementation, shares project meaning, hopes, etc.
Kookmin University to implement the project from the second semester of 2023... Over 13,000 students participating
This year's budget size, significantly expanded to 1,025 million won..."We will continue to implement it with a quality diet"

Kookmin University President Jeong Seung Ryul(center) and Seongbuk-gu Office Mayor Lee Seung Ro(right) serve breakfast to students at Kookmin University's student cafeteria. (Photo courtesy of Seongbuk-gu Office)

[Reporter Lim Ji-yeon, The Korea University Newspaper] Kookmin University President Jeong Seung Ryul and Seongbuk-gu Mayor Lee Seung Ro celebrated the one-year anniversary of the 'Cheonwon Breakfast' program on the 19th by having breakfast with representatives of Kookmin University students to hear about the meaning and wishes of the program.

The Cheonwon Breakfast Program is a project organized by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (MOLFA) to provide breakfast for university students for 1,000 won. As of 2024, it is being implemented at 186 universities nationwide. Supported by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and participating universities, it aims to promote breakfast habits and spread rice consumption culture by providing high-quality breakfast using rice or rice processed foods for 1,000 won to college students with a high rate of breakfast absenteeism. Seongbuk-gu became the first basic local government in Korea to implement the '1,000 won breakfast' program last year.

The program is not just about providing students with a meal, but also about enhancing their learning ability by improving their concentration and memory. It is also significant in promoting healthy eating habits, encouraging students around campus and in dormitories to wake up early, and reducing the financial burden on students.

Kookmin University has been participating in the Cheonwon Breakfast Program since the second semester of last year, and a total of 13,000 students have received low-cost breakfast. This year, it is expected that more students will be able to eat breakfast at a lower price. This is because the budget has been significantly expanded from 36.85 million won last year to 101.25 million won (87.75 million won from the government and 22.5 million won from the university). As a result, the price of one meal has increased from 4,000 to 5,000 won, and the number of people served per day has also increased from 100 to 150.

The KRW 1,000 breakfast will be available at the Welfare Center Student Cafeteria from 8 a.m., except on weekends and holidays, and will end on December 20th.

"As the president of Kookmin University, I am very pleased and rewarded that the Cheonwon Breakfast Project, which was launched in 2023 as a public-private partnership between the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, Seoul, Seongbuk-gu, and Kookmin University, has provided a balanced breakfast to Kookmin students," said Jeong Seung Ryul, president of Kookmin University. "I believe that by paying 1,000 won to eat a high-quality Cheonwon Breakfast, students have been able to enjoy a balanced meal and positive academic motivation."

"We will continue to implement the Cheonwon breakfast program with a higher quality diet to improve the health and academic performance of our students," said Chung. "We will also prepare and implement various measures to secure financial resources for stable operation."

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