Soonchunhyang University introduces 100-won breakfasts for students

Soonchunhyang University announced Tuesday that it has started offering 100-won ($0.07) breakfasts for students, undercutting the previously popular 1,000-won meals.

Students pose for a photo while holding the100 won ($0.07) breakfast offered at Soonchunhyang University. [SOONCHUNHYANG UNIVERSITY]

Soonchunhyang University announced Tuesday that it has started offering 100-won ($0.07) breakfasts for students, undercutting the previously popular 1,000-won meals.

The 100-won breakfast program began on Monday and will run until Nov. 22.

Breakfast is served at the university's cafeterias in Hyangseol Dorm 1 and Hyangseol Dorm 3, available to 100 students daily on a first-come, first-served basis from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m.

Both cafeterias feature different menus, but each uses rice grown locally in Asan, South Chungcheong.

Soonchunhyang University had been offering breakfast for 1,000 won in limited quantities since 2012 ,but the new program became possible through a rice purchase agreement with the South Chungcheong Provincial Office and the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation, with the provincial office and cooperative covering 30 percent of the cost.

The newly introduced 100-won option is an expansion of that initiative. The university continues to offer the 1,000-won breakfast program at Grazie Cafe and Bakery Cafe Gyeong, where students can buy sandwiches, yogurt and drinks, limited to 100 servings per day.

Kim Seo-hyun, a student at Soonchunhyang University, expressed her enthusiasm for the program, saying, "It's really nice to be able to have breakfast for just 100 won with my friends on days I have morning classes. I was worried about food costs due to rising prices, but it's good since I can have a healthy meal at a cheap price."

While 100-won breakfasts are rare, the 1,000-won meal program, funded by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, is more common. This year, the ministry allocated 4.85 billion won to support the 1,000-won breakfast initiative across 186 universities, promoting healthy meals and rice consumption among students.

BY LEE TAE-HEE [lee.taehee2@joongang.co.kr]