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1,000-won breakfasts expand to 200 universities, launching earlier this year

Published: 17 Feb. 2025, 17:37

LEE TAE-HEE
[email protected]

A sign saying the 1,000-won breakfast is offered is installed at a cafeteria at Seoul National University on Feb. 17. [YONHAP]

The 1,000-won (70 cents) breakfast program will be available at 200 universities this year, starting earlier than usual to provide affordable meals before the spring semester begins.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs announced Monday that 200 universities will participate in this year's program, which provides funding for schools offering the 1,000-won breakfast. The initiative covered 186 universities in 2024.

Participating universities serve breakfast at their cafeterias for 1,000 won, with meals available exclusively to students in limited quantities in the hundreds.

To make the program possible, the government subsidizes 2,000 won per meal, with students paying 1,000 won and the remaining cost covered by universities and local governments. The ministry has been running the initiative since 2017 to support students on tight budgets and boost declining rice consumption.

Of the 200 universities, 36 are in Seoul and 32 in Gyeonggi. Another 16 are in North Gyeongsang, 15 in South Chungcheong, 12 each in Busan and Gangwon and 11 in Incheon. A total of 10 each are in Daejeon and South Gyeongsang, nine in North Jeolla, eight each in South Jeolla and North Chungcheong, seven in Daegu, six in Gwangju, four in Ulsan, three on Jeju Island and one in Sejong.

The full list can be found on the ministry website.

Previously, universities began offering the program at the start of the spring semester, as the ministry accepted applications in February. However, applications for 2025 opened in December 2024, allowing universities to start the program earlier.

As a result, 10 universities, including Seoul National University, Mokpo National University and Gimhae University, have been serving 1,000-won breakfasts since January.

"Unlike previous years, this year's program launched earlier so students can benefit even during vacation," said Choi Myeong-cheol, head of the ministry's Food Grain Policy Bureau. "We will actively incorporate feedback from students and universities while working with consumer organizations to monitor cafeteria menus and ensure more students have access to high-quality meals."

BY LEE TAE-HEE [[email protected]]